All children love to get messy, and it so happens that artistic expression is a form of spatial reasoning. Whether it's painting, salt dough sculpting or crafting activities, most children love working with their hands to create a special project. Spatial learners like to work with color and patterns, so it’s a good idea to keep collage materials and coloring books on hand in case they get the creative urge.
Setting time aside to read classic fairy tales to young children can have a highly positive impact on spatial reasoning skills. Stories of this kind are full of ethical metaphors, narrative tropes and hidden metonymy that children can instinctively work out. Studies show that, in book format, most children prefer the Brothers Grimm or other older versions of fairy tales to the more sanitized recent versions, which may not have these complex layers of meaning.
Whether it’s for lessons or playtime, tactile games help to develop spatial reasoning in an active way. Games should be based around kids guessing what certain objects are just from the feel, or ranking items in order of roughness. Kids should have the opportunity to feel different shapes and textures, and associate new concepts with tactile sensations.
Spatial reasoning is enhanced when there is a direct physical connection with a subject. If a child shows an interest in a particular period in history, then take them to a pertinent museum exhibit. Similarly, artistic children may well appreciate a trip to an art gallery to see the work of contemporary artists or the old masters. The tours should be kept short, under an hour, and should concentrate on very specific topics rather than the whole museum catalog.