Visual-Spatial Learners
- Christy Bass Adams
- Oct 29, 2025
- 3 min read
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
I love to watch the men and women chainsaw carvers. They are given logs of various sizes, a time limit, and told to create a masterpiece. The cuts seem random and I end up chewing my nails off, afraid they’ll chop off a leg in their haste. But then, the object begins taking shape. Soon, the onlookers can identify the creation, and as the carvers finish, they have statues worthy of museums standing in front of them. These sculptors have the Visual-Spatial Intelligence.
“Visual-spatial intelligence is the ability to perceive, analyze, understand, store, and recall visual information.” Even people who are blind can still have strengths in this Intelligence because it has more to do with understanding the space around them and what can be done in it in relation to self and their placement. These are your students with huge imaginations who draw, build, create, and sculpt. These kids are also skilled at puzzles, understanding directions, navigating maps, and interpreting 3-dimensional designs.
I think about those caricature artists in the mall or at conferences who can whip out drawing of people in minutes with astounding accuracy. Or the people that can organize rooms and excel at decorating. They have a flare for the artistic mixed with logical organization. These are your architects, artists, writers, athletes, interior designers, pilots, and photographers.
As a teacher, these are the students who bring excitement, life, and creative energy to your classroom. They are the ones with the most detailed projects, out of the box thinking strategies, and visually imaginative writing. And the great thing about these students is that their love for the creative is contagious. A quiet kid with this Intelligence suddenly comes to life.
One of the first names of God mentioned in the Old Testament is Elohim, Creator God. He created everything we see, smell, touch, hear, and taste. He intricately planned and made this planet and all upon it. From the tiniest insect to the largest aquatic species, everything was created by God. Through his creative power, he spoke this world into existence. And he has also planted the desire and ability for creativity into the hearts of his children. Writers, teachers, speakers, artists, athletes, sculptors, designers—all of us have a hint of his creative traits.
What are we doing to foster the creativeness of our students on a daily basis? How are we pushing them to use their imaginations and Visual-Spatial Intelligence in meaningful ways in our classrooms?
Do the Heart Work
1. Who are your Visual-Spatial learners?
2. In what ways do you incorporate opportunities for students to utilize their creative intelligence?
3. How might allowing students more opportunities to create, build, and think out of the box impact your classroom?
Digging Deeper
Your Visual-Spatial students will be your creators. They will work with their hands and perceive things that most other Intelligences will miss. Read over these verses and consider how they may apply to the creative part of your spiritual walk. What are you doing to grow and increase your Visual-Spatial Intelligence in your relationship with Jesus?
1. “And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.” Exodus 35:31 (NIV)
2. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
3. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
4. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
5. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
If You Get Spare Time
Spend time in God’s creation. This might mean eating lunch outside, stopping by the lake to feed birds, or sitting on the front porch. Maybe it means getting up earlier and watching the sunrise or stepping outside and watching the sunset. As much as God’s creation impacts you, think of how influential it could be on your students. Plan a day for outside work this week and take note of how your students are impacted.
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