1. Saves Time
Studies demonstrate that showing, rather than speaking or reading, leads to a faster retention rate. This is not only true for kids, but also for adults. Using visual aids can therefore help a teacher or parent cover more material in less time since the learners will be able to more quickly grasp the content.2. Motivation
Some subjects can be considered dry or boring to children. On top of the fact that some subjects may be boring, kids have a small attention span that can make it difficult to learn. Using visual aids can help motivate these students in more challenging subjects they don’t particularly understand, enjoy, or in the classes where students are more prone to start daydreaming. Adding activities that connect to the visual aids can also help keep students engaged and can lead to an increase in student motivation.3. Making Connections
In addition to helping the students become more motivated, sharing visual aids with the students can be a helpful way to help them relate to all the different subjects they are studying, even the ones that may not be as interesting to them. Visual aids also provide the opportunity for more complex topics and subjects to be broken down into smaller, more digestible pieces of information. The visual aids can also lead to connections being made between different subjects that may not always seem related.4. Retention
Another excellent purpose of using visual aids with children and students is that it drastically increases the likelihood that they will retain the information they are learning. Kids are more likely to remember content shared when there was an image, icon, or picture associated with it than if they only read text or hear words that are not connected to anything meaningful. Not only are they more likely to remember the content, but they are more likely to remember it for a longer period of time, compared to if they had only heard or read the information.Kids are more likely to remember content shared when there was an image, icon, or picture associated with it than if they only read text or hear words that are not connected to anything meaningful.Click the above quote to Tweet.That being said, it is perfectly acceptable to have some reading with an image, or to verbally explain a diagram. A combination of visual aids with text or auditory manners of learning can increase the retention of any child.
5. Relaying Information
Using a visual aid helps people to simplify the concept, topic, or subject into more meaningful sizes of information. This makes it easier to relay information. It can also aid educators in recognizing if a child is struggling to grasp a concept or idea. More time can be devoted to that child and a variety of visual aids can be used to relay the material.
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| Crafting materials to make visual aids. |
6. Easily Accessible & Cost Efficient
I combined these two reasons because in today's world, the internet has given educators and parents the opportunity to have a near-infinite amount of resources for children in the classroom or at home! Some resources are completely free and are accessible to the poorest student or family! A simple google search can show a young child what animals are, or they can use YouTube to see a visual representation of the water cycle.Not only is there the internet, but there are everyday objects! After a lesson on colours, a kindergarten teacher can easily have the students in their class find that colour in their classroom, on a walk, or even at home.
7. Fun
The last point I wish to make is that using visual aids should be fun. As I mentioned in a couple of examples above, there can be many ways in which someone uses visual aids. It may simply be a matter of exploring which way works best for those you are teaching. Using visual aids can and should be fun for you and your learners. An idea is to create your own visual aids. Have your learner help you! You will find that you and your learner will remember and connect to the subject more as you create the visual aid for it.Take Away
As you can see, there are many reasons that using visual aids in helping your students or children learn. Visual aids are far-reaching and can be found or created for all topics. Now that you know the benefits, you can be a more effective teacher to those around you.Works Cited
Admin. (n.d.). Studies confirm the power of visuals to engage your audience in elearning. Studies Confirm the Power of Visuals to Engage Your Audience in eLearning. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/350326/studies-confirm-the-power-of-visuals-in-elearning.
Cook, M. (2012). Teaching with visuals in the science classroom. Science Scope, 35(5), 64-67. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=4c2d841d-c634-49a5-ad37-3f51bd0e8415%40redis.
All images were created by the writer for this article.
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