Tag: picture smart

The Picture-Smart Kid

This is the 4th post in the series I am doing on the Multiple Intelligences or 8 Great Smarts.  

You can find the first three posts here: Nature-Smart Kid ,Word-Smart Kid and Logic-Smart Kid.

For an overview of ALL the multiple intelligences, make sure to check out this post: Multiple Intelligences: Discovering the Way Your Child is Smart.  

It’s important to remember that the multiple intelligences are not meant to box people in. One can grow in any of the “smarts”, though some come much more naturally to any given person.

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

This post is all about the picture-smart kid.  

Picture-Smart Kid
What A Picture-Smart Kid Looks Like:
  • Thinks in pictures.
  • Appreciates the aesthetics and beauty of things.
  • Is a creative child who needs time to create and draw.
  • Observant.
  • Can visualize things well.
  • Likely artistic.
  • May have a photographic memory.
  • May not do well in school (especially if logic or word smart are one of their weaker “smarts”).
Possible Careers for a Picture-Smart Kid:
  • Photographer
  • Clothing Designer
  • Illustrator
  • Cartographer
  • Architect
  • Interior Designer
How You Can Nurture Picture-Smart Kids:
  • Visit the art museum together.
  • Go to craft shows together (if they’re into that!)  My picture-smart girl LOVES craft shows because she appreciates the beauty in the hand-made items.
  • After reading a Bible passage together, ask them, “What did you see?” rather than “What did you learn?”
  • If they are Minecrafters or play other visual games on the computer/iPad, make sure to balance screen-time with non-screen-time.  Be tech-wise.  Picture-smart kids are usually the kids who LOVE Minecraft or other computer games that are very visual.  And while that is helping nurture their picture-smarts there needs to be a balance.
  • Allow them to illustrate what they’ve learned, or what they know.
  • Allow them to doodle or sketch while listening to read-alouds, lectures, sermons, etc.  This can help them avoid learning fatigue.
  • Show interest in their doodling.  It may seem insignificant to you, but to them it is important.  That doodling today could become the animating of movies of tomorrow.
  • If you are a homeschooler, consider art courses from ChalkPastel.com that incorporate art into history, science and geography.

    Our youngest doing a chalk pastel class on Space!
Ideas to help strengthen Picture-Smarts:
  • Build things together (legos, magna-tiles, wedgits).  Children are forced to practice visualizing while building.
  • If they’re having a hard time imagining something, have them close their eyes and picture it.
  • Read stories that have great illustrations and talk about the pictures together (Caldecott books are a great start!)
Games/Resources for Picture-Smart Kids:

Chalk Pastel classes with Nana (With newly added lessons to go with history cycles and lessons!)

Picture-Smart KidPicture-Smart Bible (Bible Curriculum specifically designed for Picture-Smart kiddos!)


 

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Homeschooling a Creative Child

Life with a creative child (or person for that matter) is never dull.  You never can be sure what the day will hold. What story will be written, worksheet created (for a younger sibling of course), song composed, toy invented (Armless dolls made from toilet paper rolls?!  Check!), imaginary story acted out, kitchen creations baked and the list goes on…

Creativity: The Early Years

As a young girl, my daughter and oldest child (now age 10), had a strong dislike for coloring.  This was concerning to me as all of her peers showed interest in coloring.  If I could’ve looked into the near future at that point those concerns would’ve been washed away.

Around the age of 5 or 6, she started drawing 15-20 pictures a day.  It honestly was a little overwhelming. There were drawings everywhere.   And these drawings were intricate.  Incredibly detailed.  As a sentimental person, I felt like it was my motherly duty to save everything.  I wanted my little girl to have those mementos for when she got older.  And we still do have a few loads of folders of drawings in our basement somewhere.   Her “drawing sprees” make sense me to me now as I believe her strongest multiple intelligence is picture smart.

I won’t even delve into what her bedroom is like.  As someone who feels a bit panicked around clutter, let’s just say I wouldn’t consider her bedroom a sanctuary. Though she does, and I realize that’s what’s important.   Thankfully after a lot of trial and error (and advice from a friend who is very similar to my daughter), we’ve got a system that is working for now.  A compromise that has worked for both of us.  But I’ll save that for another post.  😊

A Need to Create

Somewhere along the line, I began to understand creative “types” a little more, which has helped tremendously.  They create because they need to create.  All of those ideas are looming in their brain and they have to get them out.  It’s not about creating something utilitarian(though it could be at times), but simply about the act of creating.  An expression of what is going on in their brains.

I have personally experienced this and contemplated it as I have started this blog.  Though not nearly as creative as my daughter, I have lots of thoughts roaming around in my own head and writing them out has been therapeutic for me (even if no one else were to read them!).  It frees the clutter from my brain.

Coming to this understanding has been freeing in regards to my daughter because I now realize I don’t need to save ALL of her “creations”.   Certainly, I will save some.  But she isn’t creating for others to see but simply to fill her need to create.  Therefore, I can now go through the “stack” on a daily or weekly basis and save a few of her best drawings/creations.   With no more mom guilt!

Homeschooling a Creative Child

Homeschooling her has gotten easier too, as I’ve learned to work with her creative ways.  Note: This is an art and not a science!  One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that if she’s in her “creative zone”, it will work best if I let her finish what she’s doing before moving on to something else.  This does not work with a super scheduled day, so while I try to keep a general routine, we do maintain flexibility in our homeschooling.  This is essential for everyone’s sanity!

Compromising with my creative child is also key to having a more successful homeschool.  So, compromise AND flexibility are both essential!

As much as it can be tricky homeschooling a creative child, it is also a joy.  Every day brings something new!

Are you a creative person or do you have a creative child?  Please comment with any thoughts/insights you’d like to share!

 

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