Why Visualizing & Verbalizing Is the Missing Piece in Language Development

Have you ever read a sentence, stared at it, and thought… I know the words, but I don’t really get what they mean?

That tiny gap — between recognising language and truly understanding it — is exactly where the Visualizing & Verbalizing® (V&V) programme makes the difference.

Developed by Lindamood-Bell, V&V strengthens a child’s ability to create mental images while listening, reading, and speaking. It may sound simple, but imagery is a major foundation for comprehension, thinking, and communication.

The Core Idea: Pictures Build Meaning

Many children can:

·        Read aloud perfectly

·        Repeat sentences word-for-word

·        Follow simple instructions

…but struggle to understand what they hear or read.

Because you can’t understand what you can’t picture.

Imagery helps the brain:

·        Organise information

·        Connect cause–effect

·        Remember key details

·        Build meaningful ideas

·        Prepare thoughts for expression

Without imagery, students are stuck in a verbal fog — language goes in, but meaning doesn’t stick.

From Words → Pictures → Understanding

V&V guides children to turn sentences into vivid scenes.

Example sentence:“The small yellow bird flew from the tree to the window.”

A student is taught to imagine:

·        How small is the bird?

·        What colour is it?

·        Where did it start? Where did it go?

·        What movement happened?

These details anchor comprehension.Language becomes an experience — not just sounds.

How V&V Strengthens Language Skills

✔ Receptive Language

Children learn to:

·        Understand longer sentences

·        Follow multi-step instructions

·        Infer meaning from context

They visualise what they hear, so directions finally make sense.

✔ Expressive Language

When children can “see” their thoughts, they can share them clearly.

Instead of:

“The boy… um… dog…”

They say:

“The boy fed his brown dog in the backyard using a bowl of food.”

Imagery provides structure:

·        Who?

·        What?

·        Where?

·        When?

·        What’s happening?

Better pictures → better sentences → better communication

What Parents & Teachers Notice

Children begin to:

·        Ask clearer questions

·        Explain their thinking

·        Build logical connections

·        Speak and write with confidence

Most importantly, learning becomes less frustrating and more meaningful.

V&V isn’t a reading trick — it’s a thinking tool that supports comprehension across all learning.

If your child struggles to understand language — not the words, but the meaning — V&V may be the missing piece.

📌 Want to explore whether Visualizing & Verbalizing could help your child? Our team at Total Communication is here to guide you.