Illustrations for Children-The Visual Perceptual development at an early age - Research Paper Example

The objectives of teaching in the visual literacy field include enhancing the visual perception development of children. Basically, identification of differences in visual aspects would be carried out. These aspects consist of color, shape, lime, movement, texture, and other characteristics. The field of visual literacy particularly concerns a child’s worldview; how s/he responds to the things s/he sees; how s/he views, senses, and understands feelings induced; and how s/he makes opinions about visual media.

This essay discusses the impact of illustrations and pictures on children’s visual perceptual development, as well as on the reading and comprehension learning processes of emergent readers. Development of visual perception is thought to be helpful in enhancing children’s creative, writing, reading, and cognitive abilities. Stieglitz (2008) emphasizes that seeing is the most essential and fundamental source of information about the world (as cited in Machado, 2012, 154). Seeing does not only include the eyes, but the brain as well.

Components of the process of visual perception are eye receptors, the visual stimulus, light, the person’s previous experiences, past belief and knowledge, and the person’s emotions and motives at a given time. Some experts propose that the visual literacy domain must be incorporated with speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They also propose teaching that is genuine, is natural, and engages children in brainstorming or problem-solving activities. Teaching, they argue, should be orderly, clear, and direct.

Storytelling activities using illustrations or photos, stimulating the children’s interpretation of what the story is all about after seeing a cover of a children’s book, and talking about children’s creative work and the specifics within or their feelings provide teachers ideas into the children’s thoughts. Such exercises also expose children’s capacity to read and interpret visual