Visual-Spatial Memory: Remembering Where Things Are

By Laura Lurns · Reviewed by Philip Weaver · Last reviewed 2026-10-12

What visual-spatial memory means

Holding in mind where things are is one part of memory. You may hear this called visual-spatial memory. On our pages, the name describes a skill. It is not a diagnosis, and not a type of child. In our view, an eye exam is worth doing early. Ask for one that includes near vision.

Working memory means holding something in mind while you use it. Some of what a child holds is words and sounds. Some is pictures and positions. Most working-memory studies we hold call the pictures-and-positions part visual-spatial.

Our page on visual processing disorder covers what visual processing means.

Our page on processing difficulties has more.

What studies of groups show

Verbal means words and sounds.

Alloway and colleagues (2006) tested working memory in a group of children. They could tell verbal and visual-spatial working memory apart. We could read only the study's summary.

That finding is about a group of children. It is not a checklist for one child.

In our view, verbal and visual-spatial working memory are not learning styles. We do not sort children into learning styles. We do not use the term visual learner.

Our page on auditory and visual working memory covers studies of groups.

Visual-spatial memory and math

One review drew on studies of children with math trouble, reading trouble, or both (Starling-Alves, Peters and Wilkey, 2025). In that review, math trouble alone came with more than one weak spot. One was memory for what is seen and where.

Another review compared children with and without math trouble (Swanson and Jerman, 2006). The groups differed on several tests, visual-spatial working memory among them. Once other things were counted, the gap was mainly in verbal working memory. We could read only the review's summary.

Both reviews are about groups of children. They are not a checklist for one child.

Our page on a child who reads well but struggles with math has more. Our page on misaligned columns and misread math signs has more.

If schoolwork worries you, talk with the teacher.

Losing track of where things are

Some children often lose track of where things are. That is a behavior. The behavior alone does not tell you why. Some do not see clearly. Some find it hard to hold in mind where things are. Some find keeping track of their things hard. This page cannot tell you the reason. In our view, an eye exam is worth doing early. Ask for one that includes near vision.

Our page on organization covers keeping track of things.

Why an eye exam is worth doing early

In our view, an eye exam is worth doing early. Some children avoid close work, rub their eyes or lose their place. In our view, that is a reason for a full eye exam. Ask for one that includes near vision.

If an exam finds an eye problem, that problem needs its own care.

Our page on who assesses visual processing has more.

Memory games

Practice reaches the thing it is practice at. A checklist used on the homework builds checklist-and-homework. A memory game played instead has not been shown to reach the reading or the math.

Our page on a child who forgets everything you say covers memory games.

This page makes no claim for any program, game or exercise.

If your child has lost a skill

Some children could do something and now cannot. That is different from a child who has not built the skill yet. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.

When to ask for help

Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.

• Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
• Schoolwork well below what school expects.
• A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
• Extreme upset about schoolwork.
• Complete avoidance of school or learning.
• Hopelessness about learning.
• Sadness or worry that lasts.
• Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
• A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.

If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.

Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.