Linguistic Intelligence: For the Kids Who Always Have Something to Say
Ever had a student who could talk their way out of (or into) anything? The one who always has their hand up, ready with an answer, a question, or an unsolicited fun fact about their dog? congratulations, you’ve met a linguistically intelligent student.
These kids are the word wizards of the classroom, strong in reading, writing, speaking and storytelling. They process the world through language, whether it’s devouring books, crafting persuasive arguments, or effortlessly picking up new vocabulary.
If you’re thinking, Great, but how do I keep them from dominating every classroom discussion?, don’t worry, we’ll get there.
What Is Linguistic Intelligence?
Linguistic intelligence (also called verbal-linguistic intelligence) is the ability to understand and use language effectively.
These students excel at:
Reading and writing: they actually enjoy essays—yes! They exist!
Telling stories: sometimes even when they should be doing something else
Wordplay and puns: expect groans from their peers when they discover dad jokes.
Persuasion and debate: future lawyers in the making
Learning new languages quickly
Basically, if words are involved, they’re thriving.
Signs You Have a Linguistic Learner in Your Classroom
They always have a book in their hands
They remember things best when they read or hear them
They write detailed stories even when you only asked for a paragraph
They correct your grammar (and sometimes their classmates’ too)
They naturally explain things to others, sometimes without being asked
Teaching Strategies for Linguistic Learners
So how do you harness their love of words without letting them dominate the classroom? Here are some practical strategies:
Let them write…A LOT.
Linguistic learners process through words, so don’t fight it, use it! Encourage journals, essays, poetry, and creative writing projects. Let them write scripts for skits instead of just summarizing lessons and allow response writing instead of just verbal participation, sometimes their thoughts come out clearer on paper.
Incorporate discussions and debates
Give these kids a microphone (figuratively, please), by organizing classroom debates or Socratic seminars. Let them explain concepts to peers, teaching is the best way to reinforce learning and create book clubs or literature circles so they can discuss ideas without interrupting a lesson.
Use storytelling as a learning tool
They already love to talk, channel that energy productively by having them create stories to explain historical events or scientific concepts. Use mnemonics and rhymes to help them memorize facts and assign podcasts or audiobooks as an alternative to traditional reading assignments.
Encourage word games and creative challenges
Turn their love of language into a strength by trying word-based games like scrabble, bababagrams, or mad libs. Let them make a class newsletter or start a class blog and challenge them with etymology activities, they’ll love tracing words back to their origins.
Give them leadership in language-based activities
Instead of fighting their natural inclination to explain things to everyone, put them in charge of something useful. Peer editing lets them help classmates with writing assignments, or make reading buddies by pairing them with younger students to read aloud. Letting them announce class events also gives them a role where their love of talking is useful.
What if They Struggle in Other Areas?
Linguistic learners might excel with words, but struggle with math, hands-on learning, or spatial reasoning. In these cases, it’s useful to pair reading with visuals to help with comprehension, use words problems in classes like math or chemistry, so they can process information in their strongest modality, and let them explain their thought process out loud when working through problems.
Final Thoughts
Linguistic intelligence is a superpower…when channeled correctly. These students are future writers, journalists, lawyers, teachers, and public speakers. The key is guiding their strengths while balancing their participation so every student has a voice.
And remember, if you don’t give them something productive to do with words, they’ll find something unproductive to do with words.
Tomorrow, we’ll dive into Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, because not every kid dreams of writing novels; some are out here calculating the trajectory of their paper airplane mid-flight.
