Teaching The Visual Child

The visual child is probably the easiest to teach because there are more resources available for that style learner. Practically everything in the conventional school setting is geared toward the visual learner: text books, work pages, overhead projectors, posters, videos, flip charts, flash cards, etc. I don’t know this for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the top students in a school were all predominantly visual learners.

It may take longer, however, for you to pick up on his visual tendencies if he’s a young tyke. Young children tend to exhibit some of the same tendencies in learning as the auditory or kinesthetic, not showing their visual preferences until they begin school-type activities.

Watch how your child interacts with his world around him. Is he very observant, picking up on things that perhaps others have missed, or that you assume a child his age wouldn’t have noticed? When you ask him something, is he descriptive in his explanation, describing what he sees as opposed to what he hears or how he interacts with it?

If he's older, does he have a fairly easy time with reading skills? Does he find books interesting? When you ask him to describe something, does he seem to look off into the distance as if he’s seeing the thing in his mind? These are all traits of the visual learner.

Try incorporating some of these ideas to make Bible reading time more interesting for your child:

• Let him sit beside you so he can look at pictures in the Bible or read along with you.


• Let him read the passage or a portion of it.


• Let him read along in his own Bible.


• Use maps to plot the travels of Abraham, the Jews’ exodus, the missionary trips of Paul, or just to find the location of what you’re reading about. Many Bibles have map sections, or you can go online and download a map of the middle eastern area.


• Let him draw or color a picture pertaining to the passage, either during or after the
  reading. You can find Bible coloring books in many places (oftentimes in dollar discount type stores) and pull a page out that corresponds with what you’re reading about. Or, just give him a blank sheet of paper and ask him to draw a picture of what you’re reading. Remember, this is not an art lesson, just a way of engaging your child and helping him better remember what your devotion was about.


• Draw diagrams, charts, pictures, etc. for your child to help better explain concepts. These do not have to be elaborate. My husband once used a scrap piece of paper to draw a sun on the left side and clouds on the right, with a stick figure person in the middle. He then explained that where we’re standing and in which direction we’re facing will determine how much of God’s light shines on us. Very simple, but very effective. The children remember this picture, and the concept it taught, to this day.


• Supplement the reading with interesting books on geography, Jewish culture, etc. I would look for interesting picture books, even for older children and teens.

Your goal is to help your child “see” God and His truths. Whatever engages his visual learning style will make Bible reading time much more enjoyable and meaningful.