Visual Perception: What It Is, Importance & How To Develop It
Early childhood is when children develop at the fastest rate, and the first years of a child’s life are crucial for their brain development. Although the brain continues to develop throughout life, the high rate at which it does so in a child’s first years is unmatched.
Among the various skills that should be cultivated, most parents focus on the more commonly known ones, such as logical thinking, creativity and more. One crucial skill that is often neglected but needs to be developed in a child’s early years is visual perception.
To learn more about visual perception, its importance and how to develop it, keep on reading!
What is visual perception?
Visual perceptual abilities are the capacity of the brain to interpret what the eyes see. It is necessary for routine everyday tasks. Visual perceptual abilities can be divided into seven main elements – visual memory, visual discrimination, visual-spatial relationships, visual sequential memory, visual form constancy, visual closure and visual figure. All of these skills are critical for learning, helping children find their way in life, and making meaning of new information that is shown to them visually.
Why is visual perception important?
The development of a child’s visual perception is vital.
As mentioned above, many daily tasks, such as reading, writing, drawing, solving problems, dressing oneself, and many more, require an individual to possess good visual perception skills.
Children with visual perception issues may have difficulty identifying, memorising, and organising visual representations. This can cause challenges in many areas of everyday life, most notably learning to read, write, and to perform well in Math. Moreover, if a child is unable to carry out these daily tasks, their self-esteem may suffer as well.
Developing visual perception skills in children
One of the best ways to develop a child’s visual perception is through play and fun activities. If you’re looking for some activities to develop your child’s visual perception skills at home, check out the following:
1. Memory Game
Develop your child’s visual memory by playing a simple memory game with cards. All you have to do is lay a couple of cards face down and take turns turning any two over. Get your child to try finding the matching pairs as quickly as possible!
2. Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzle construction is one of the best activities you can do with your child as they help to encourage visual memory and build on their visual motor skills. However, it is important to make sure the puzzles are suitable for your child’s age. Ideally, the puzzles should be moderately difficult but manageable. If they are too challenging, your child may become disinterested and lose confidence.
3. Reading
The ability to distinguish between the forms of things and pictures, such as a circle from a square or the letter B from the letter P, is a crucial skill for a child to master. Reading is the most apparent activity that requires a child to differentiate between various forms.
Conclusion
In summary, developing your child’s visual perception skills is imperative. Doing so will help improve their brain’s ability to draw conclusions from the information absorbed through the eyes and aid in them completing daily tasks.
Besides the home activities we have shared above, you should also consider enrolling your child in cognitive development training. Whether you are looking for English language enrichment or Singapore Math enrichment program, The Brain Academia’s holistic programs aim to empower children to unlock their fullest potential by developing their cognitive capacities. Our programs have been clinically proven to help children overcome learning challenges and develop core skills, including visual perception, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and more.
To learn more about our programs, do not hesitate to fill out this contact form today to request an appointment.