Is Your Creative Child Struggling with Reading & Spelling? Here’s Why—

Is Your Creative Child Struggling with Reading & Spelling? Here’s Why—And How to Help!

Does your child have a vivid imagination but struggles with reading and spelling? You’re not alone. Many highly creative, visual-thinking children find traditional teaching methods frustrating—not because they aren’t capable, but because the system isn’t built for their way of learning.

It’s strange when you think about it. Every child learns differently—at their own pace, with their own interests—yet schools often use a one-size-fits-all approach. Then, children are compared to one another as if they should all thrive under the same method. But here’s the good news: There’s another way.

When visual learners are shown how to use their natural strengths to spell and read, the reaction is almost always the same: “Wait… that’s it? I can do that!”

The Power of Visualizing Words

Sixteen years ago, my daughter used to watch the TV show WordWorld, and looking back, they were onto something big. The show helped children see words come to life—literally. A dog wasn’t just spelled D-O-G; the letters formed the shape of a dog, making it instantly recognizable. This simple, visual approach made reading intuitive and fun.

And yet, traditional education rarely taps into this powerful learning style. But what if we did?

Simple Adjustments That Can Make a Big Difference

Supporting visual learners doesn’t require expensive programs or complicated techniques. In fact, some of the most effective strategies are completely free:

🔹 Tap Into Their Strengths & Interests – Learning becomes easier when it's connected to what excites them.
🔹 Visualize Phonics Differently – A small tweak in teaching order can unlock reading skills.
🔹 Start with Nouns – Begin with short words (3–8 letters) to build confidence.
🔹 Look Up, Not Down – When writing, encourage your child to visualize the word in their mind before putting it on paper. A great way to reinforce this is by breaking the word into syllables and assigning each part a different color.

For example, the word chocolate could be written as:
cho (red) - co (blue) - late (green)

This method not only helps with spelling but also improves recall. Over time, children will begin to “see” the word in their mind in its color-coded format, making it easier to spell forwards and backwards!

🔹 Use Storytelling as a Bridge – Encourage children to “see” a story in their mind before putting words on paper.
🔹 Picture Numbers for Math Success – Visualizing numbers helps with numeracy—just write what you see!

Next Steps to Unlock Your Child’s Learning Potential

If you are unsure of your child's exact learning style feel free to grab my assessment today. It will help you a ton. Click the button below.