How Can My Child Become More "Picture Smart"?

According to You're Smarter Than You Think, by Thomas Armstrong, PhD., here are some ways that your child can expand and enjoy his/her "Picture Smart skills. Try any activity below that appeals to your child no matter how "Picture Smart" he/she may be.

1. Explore the world of art. If there are museums where you live, make a point of visiting them and seeing the different kinds of art they have to offer.

2. Keep a visual journal. Visual journals are great for sketching things your child sees during the day that interest him/her, ideas, or problems he/she is trying to solve.

3. Create a "picture library". Collect images, pictures, and designs your child like from magazines, newspapers, postcards, and photographs. Keep them in a box or assemble them into a scrapbook or collage for the wall.

4. Take a picture of your day. It can be fun for your child to take a picture of the interesting things your child sees during the day. After the pictures are developed, pick out the best ones and put together an album or hang them on the wall.

5. Create a video. If you have access to video or digital recorders, many computers have easy programs that a child can use to edit and add sound and credits to a video.

6. Play games and work puzzles that pump up "Picture Smart abilities. Pictionary is a classic, tic-tac-toe, checkers, and chess rely on visual strategies.

7. Take a class. You can find classes on drawing, painting, architecture, and photography.

8. Create a "design studio" in your home. Keep materials around to draw and build mock-up models or ideas.

9. Spend a few minutes a day looking around you. Help your child enjoy the small details like the angle of sunlight in the afternoon, or different colors on billboards.

10. Look for interesting visual patterns in everyday life. Look at the "eyes" on the skin of pineapple in the grocery store to rows of windows in big office buildings.