Looking Back on 2019
As 2019 comes to an end, I have compiled a list of our most important posts of the year. Our visual, right-brain thinkers have amazing talents and adapting the way we talk to them and reinforce their learning can make such a difference in their self esteem and success in life.
Do you have a child that always seems a bit restless when she goes to bed? I bought a 12 lb. blanket for my 10-year-old grandson, a twin size. I thought it might calm him. It worked. Not only did it help him fall asleep faster, he stayed asleep.
I’ve got a cure for the reading comprehension blues. Your kids are going to listen their way to improved test scores. Visual kids think in pictures and, listening to stories lets them ‘see’ what they’re reading.
Whether its standardized tests or classroom work, there are always going to be story problems in math. After all, those “stories” are the real world applications of math.
Children with autism tend to have stronger visual-spatial skills and weaker verbal abilities so many of the teaching strategies that work well for visual learners, also work well with autistic students.
The Lego Movie was a big success, earning hundreds of millions dollars and plenty of stars from critics and audiences alike. And while I enjoyed the parts of the movie I saw (my family loved it) it wasn’t my kind of movie, so I never really watched it. That is until my daughter started quoting the movie in the context of the Right & Left brain conversation we’re having here.
Visual learners are nonlinear, big picture, creative thinkers that may struggle academically. The way their mind works is contrary to the way schools teach and measure intelligence. But there’s hope. Understanding who your child is and that the problem lies in teaching styles – not them – is the beginning of change. It brings light back into dark places. It brings hope.
Homework is going to be a part of your child’s school experience for many years. Whether you have a visual learner just starting school or an older visual learner, I have found lots of great ways to make homework time easier through the years.
We have a visual learner in the family, who’s also got an ADD diagnosis, and like most visual learners struggles with writing essays. So, this weekend I showed him the sticky note trick and what normally takes him hours to complete was done in 30 minutes!
This year at Halloween my two four year old grandsons were obsessed with Frankenstein, so when it was grandma time, it was Frankenstein drawing time. So, I pulled up the Young Rembrandts how to draw Frankenstein video on my iPad and we drew him together. They were so excited and proud of what they drew, which made them want to draw more.
