Visual-Spatial Skills

[Embassy]

For a child who is strong in visual-spatial skills (99.9th percentile on WISC) what can I do to nurture that ability and how can I use these strengths in subjects that are more language-based? Right now I incorporate drawing into several subjects, he makes things on Scratch, and some of his math time involves tangrams and Hands-On Equations. :bigear:

[wapiti]

what level is your child working at? for more math, you might consider Beast Academy (great for kids with visual-spatial strengths - this was just mentioned on one of the BA threads) or AoPS (big-picture perspective great for a VSL)

 

for language, I'll have to think about that a bit...

[Embassy]

He is in Singapore 3A right now which is his main math program. I'll have to think about Beast Academy. I already own Singapore so I wasn't planning to switch, but maybe it would be a better fit or a good supplement. I am planning on AOPS when we get to pre-algebra though :) Thanks for the tips!

[FairProspects]

BA is a great suggestion. I'm also starting to allow ds to express his ideas in more spatial/hands-on ways in general. He thinks in pictures/images, so I just need to go with it.

 

Instead of asking him to write a response to "What would a day without gravity be like?", I'm having him direct a Lego stop animation movie. Similarly, he will build a working volcano this year rather than just reading and narrating about one.

 

In history, I have him act out or build whatever I can, trying to get it in story form or myth as much as possible, which creates strong visual images for him. I make frequent use of color-coding in language subjects; in typing on the home row, and grammar by parts of speech, and in spelling with AAS. We are about to begin REWARDS, which has students circle prefixes and suffixes to give a visual cue.

 

I think it can be done, but it is definitely a learning process and we are still just starting the journey. It does appear that I will have to work significantly outside the box ( "going rogue" as we call it on the SN board) and write much of it myself because there does not seem to be much out there (other than AoPs) for this type of learner.

[Embassy]

BA is a great suggestion. I'm also starting to allow ds to express his ideas in more spatial/hands-on ways in general. He thinks in pictures/images, so I just need to go with it.

 

Instead of asking him to write a response to "What would a day without gravity be like?", I'm having him direct a Lego stop animation movie. Similarly, he will build a working volcano this year rather than just reading and narrating about one.

 

In history, I have him act out or build whatever I can, trying to get it in story form or myth as much as possible, which creates strong visual images for him. I make frequent use of color-coding in language subjects; in typing on the home row, and grammar by parts of speech, and in spelling with AAS. We are about to begin REWARDS, which has students circle prefixes and suffixes to give a visual cue.

 

I think it can be done, but it is definitely a learning process and we are still just starting the journey. It does appear that I will have to work significantly outside the box ( "going rogue" as we call it on the SN board) and write much of it myself because there does not seem to be much out there (other than AoPs) for this type of learner.

 

Thanks! That is quite helpful. I've found success when we do lots of hands-on projects. I'll have to keep that up. The color coding is a good idea!