Learning Styles

There has been a real emphasis on learning styles not only for children but adults as well. If you Google ‘learning styles’ you will find some quizzes to determine your own style and also ones for kids. The importance of knowing what your child’s learning style is that you will be able to help them learn quicker and easier at home and be able to advocate for them at school. We utilize all of the styles in some way but usually we will prefer one or two for the bulk of our learning.

There are several different learning styles but for children, the main ones are:

·         Visual - learning by seeing

·         Visual/Reader - learning by reading and/or writing

·         Auditory - learning by hearing and talking

·         Kinesthetic - learning by doing

Children when they are very young, learning by touching and exploring, this is ‘kinesthetic’ learning. I myself find that by doing things I will remember them better. For example, when I am a passenger in a car, I am less likely to remember how to get somewhere than if I drive there myself. Children who learn by doing, should be provided with ‘hands on activities’ such as science experiments, blocks to manipulate and count when learning math and given projects over essays when they have a choice.

Auditory learners do better when they can talk about the topic they are learning about. Discussions, books on tape, oral presentations and teaching others can assist in their ability to learn.

Visual learners do best with diagrams, pictures, and watching movies. While visual readers do best with taking notes, making lists and reading articles.

While my oldest child learns best by actually ‘doing’ my youngest prefers to write things down like myself and then there’s my middle child who is musically inclined and learns best through auditory processes. I have used this knowledge to help my children when studying for tests. My kinesthetic learner will draw pictures when studying, my visual/reader learner writes out answers and my auditory learner gets me to quiz her.

While a good teacher will try to make sure they use all of these styles when teaching a topic, it’s still important that parents let their child’s teacher know what style helps them to be most successful.