June 12, 2021|Learning Style
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It is so very important to teach to your child’s learning style! It is no surprise that we all absorb information differently. The same applies to children! They are so instinctual and go with what they know subconsciously. They have no choice but to learn their own way.
So what are the different learning styles and how can we use them to our advantage? Well there are actually is not an exact answer to that. Depending on where you go and who you talk to, the number of learning styles differ. Here’s a list of the ones most referenced: Visual, Auditory, Physical (Kinesthetic), Verbal, Logical, Social, Solitary, Natural…..and so on.
Now, it needs to be said that it is almost guaranteed that no one is just one learning style. They may be a majority of one or even all four main ones! But it’s likely, if they are human, they will resonate with more than one. Kids included! Just because a kid runs around a lot, does not mean he is a kinesthetic learner. Kids, in general, NEED movement regardless of what type of learner they are. They are growing bodies and minds and need to stretch those muscles and get the blood flowing to their brains! So just because your child exhibits some traits (or maybe even typically developmentally appropriate actions) of one learning style, does not necessarily mean they are that learning style for sure. They could be a mix! And it’s worth checking out. Click the link below to see how you can help your child flourish and then keep reading here for more info!
Also, these learning styles can change at anytime! My son was (and still is a little bit of) a kinesthetic learner. He is now showing signs of more auditory. They grow and develop everyday. Everything changes so fast with kids. Their learning styles will too!
In my opinion, the first four matter most. Here’s why. The first four show ways in which you receive, retain and reimagine/recite/reenact information. These can then be laced with the others. For example, if my child is an auditory learner and is also a logical learner, I can know they would enjoy hearing stories or songs of actual events/things as opposed to fables. Here’s another one, if my child is a visual learner and is also a social learner, I can know my child would enjoy speaking to others while utilizing visual aids.
Let’s break these learning styles down a bit.
- Visual Learners are spatial learners. It helps them when information is visually presented to them. When there are things they can see. When information is visually organized and/or visually easy to take in (color coded, categories, etc). They can picture in their heads or imagine. These learners may struggle if they have to be listening for a long period of time.
- They do best with: pictures, photographs, charts, graphs, tables, visual aids, flashcards (maybe), metaphors that encourage visualizing, storytelling that requires them to imagine what is happening, drawing illustrations, watching how something is done, videos, etc.
- Physical (Kinesthetic) Learners are tactile and/or movement learners. It helps them when they move their body or are “hands on” and touching/handling things. They learn best by doing. They need physical interaction with things. These learners may struggle if they have to be still for too long.
- They do best with: exercise, drawing, role playing, puzzles, dancing, brain breaks, sitting on a wobble chair/yoga ball while working on activities, experiments, building models, yard games, reading while using their finger to track, etc.
- Auditory (Aural) Learners are listening learners. It helps them when there are sounds and hearing the information, especially if it has a beat or a rhythm to it. These learners may struggle if their study space is too quiet or too loud.
- They do best with: music, rhymes spoken out loud, chants, repeating a story (to themselves or others), audio books, lectures, listening and even some speaking. When reading, it would help this learner to read out loud.
- Verbal Learners are linguistic or speaking learners. It helps them to understand and remember information better when they read or write it themselves. They enjoy making use of the language itself.
- They do best with: word problems, group discussions, presenting, new vocabulary, writing things out, reading, explaining to someone else what they learned, word games and word associations.
****Some say the Auditory and Verbal learning styles are the same and claim there are only three. I like to separate them out and stick with four main learning styles. This is because auditory learners like to hear, verbal learners like to talk. Now, as the one teaching it is important to know when you should be doing the talking and when you should be doing the LISTENING. There is a underrated, yet crucial in my opinion, key there. You cannot hear anything if you are the one always doing the talking.
- Logical Learners are analytic learners. They like to look for patterns and trends, reasons, results, connections,
- They do best with: questions that provoke interpretation, coding, deciphering, puzzles, riddles, etc.
- Social Learners are keen to learn in groups or around people. They seem to learn from others and pick up cues from their peers and benefit from social interaction.
- They do best with: group activities, role play, social engagement like asking questions, talking to new people, etc.
- Solitary Learners are keen to learn on their own and by doing things in a more individual fashion. These learners tend to learn from their own experiences and mistakes. It’s more of an inward/introspective learning.
- They do best with: individual problem solving activities like puzzles and word games, learning through observation and personal journaling, reading books, etc.
- Natural Learners are learners that take more in when learning in/with/about nature
- They do best with: using natural materials, using the real world to explore real life lessons, being in nature while learning, learning about nature itself.