Math is often seen as black and white, formulas and equations to be memorized and executed. However, math involves much more than just rote memorization. A crucial aspect of math is the use of visual spatial skills, or the ability to understand and manipulate spatial relationships between objects. In fact, research has shown that strong visual spatial skills are essential for success in math.
Firstly, visual spatial skills are involved in understanding geometry and measurement. Understanding geometric shapes and their properties requires the ability to mentally rotate these shapes, understand their position in space, and visualize how they fit together. Measurement requires understanding and estimating spatial relationships like distance, size, and volume. Children with strong visual spatial skills are more likely to excel in geometry and measurement, as they have an intuitive grasp of these concepts.
Secondly, visual spatial skills are essential for problem-solving in math. Many math problems require mental manipulation of visual representations of data, like graphs, charts, or diagrams. These skills are necessary for understanding and interpreting tables, maps, and graphs. Estimating and measuring are key skills that require visual spatial ability. Children with strong spatial skills are more adept at identifying patterns, making inferences, and devising solutions to complex problems.
Thirdly, visual spatial skills are linked to environmental awareness and creativity. Spatial ability helps children connect more deeply to their visual environment, which is essential for creative art and design. A strong spatial ability also helps children recognize patterns and spatial relationships in the world around them. For example, a child with strong visual spatial skills may be able to recognize and remember the spatial relationships between landmarks in their environment, like a park, buildings, and landmarks. This kind of awareness and increased creativity is linked to better performance in math and science.
Moreover, research has shown that visual-spatial skills are important for brain functioning, especially the parietal lobe and hippocampus. The parietal lobe is responsible for integrating sensory information and manipulating spatial representations. The hippocampus is responsible for spatial and declarative memory. Regularly exercising visual-spatial skills, therefore, can lead to strengthening and more efficient communication between regions in the brain. These cognitive benefits can then lead to improvements in math skills and more effective problem-solving.
