Help Your Visual Learner with Reading and Math Skills

As a visual learner your child really responds to color, design, charts, lists, and most things that have a clear, strong, and appealing visual image. You can tap into this learning style with the following easy tips and ideas.

Reading and Spelling:

• Make "sight words" or spelling word flashcards. Write the words with a black Sharpie on large index cards. Always use lowercase letters. Showing the card to your child while he or she identifies the words helps them with quick word recognition.
• To improve reading organization, place an index card under the line that your child is reading. Let your child move the card down as they read. This allows your child to keep their place, as well as focus on the natural left-to-right eye movement used in reading.
• To practice beginning letter sounds old catalogs, flyers, and magazines can be very useful. On a piece of construction paper put a capital and lowercase letter, (for example Tt). Have your child be a detective and "hunt" through a catalog, flyer, or magazine and cut out pictures that begin with the Tt sound. Paste them on the construction paper.

For Math:

• Find a large calendar for your child’s room. Hang it on a bulletin board, closet door, or some other convenient place. Let your child write important events on the calendar. Use it to count days until events occur, practice counting 1-30, and other simple math.
• Do a "sock sort" to practice "skip- counting." Fill a small basket with clean socks. Have your child visually match the socks. When socks are matched, count the pairs by 2’s to reach the total number of individual socks.
• Work with a math number grid for number recognition, counting, and addition and subtraction practice.