The COVID-19 pandemic has changed school and the way it works for many children. A large majority of students are now familiar with distance learning and parents are learning to assist remotely.
You might have noticed that your children learn best in different ways. Recognizing your child’s learning style can help them get the most out of their education, whether they’re at home with you or back in the classroom.
There are four main types of learning styles that children fall into. Though some of them may have characteristics of the others, you can usually determine which one your child is strongest in.
Want to know more about learning styles children are using at school and at home? You’re in the right place. Keep reading and you’ll be ready to help your child learn in his or her own way, at home or at school.
Table of Contents
Visual Learners
Visual learners do best when they can see and observe. They tend to learn best with demonstrations and have a good memory for things they’ve seen and learned.
Your child might be a visual learner if he excels in art and enjoys reading and looking at maps. Visual learners also love observing what’s going on around them and are adept at reading body language and facial expressions.
Because students who learn best in this style need to see what’s going on, you can help your child by creating flashcards, color coding their notes and assignments, and putting together diagrams and charts.
Auditory Learners
Students who are auditory learners excel in music and are skilled at having conversations and tend to listen to all of the directions before getting started on an assignment.
Auditory learners are good listeners and enjoy humming, singing, and repeating words and phrases while playing and doing school work. They also tend to ask lots of questions and want more information regularly.
You can help your auditory learner do well by reading information out loud, allowing them to read out loud to you, and using songs and rhymes to teach or reinforce new concepts.
Talking things through is another way to help this kind of learner grasp new information and build on what they already know.
Kinesthetic Learners
This kind of learner needs physical movement to excel. When it comes to children’s learning styles, this one might be the easiest to recognize.
If your child is a kinesthetic learner, you will notice that she enjoys sports and dancing and has a great sense of balance. Kinesthetic learners also use a lot of hand gestures and love hands-on games and activities.
You can help your child do well by creating practice tests, offering drawing and handwriting activities, and playing games as you learn and review concepts and information.
Another idea is to give your child a fidget toy or stress ball to manipulate while they study. This satisfies their need to move, but in a way that’s appropriate for the classroom.
Reading/Writing Learners
The name of this learning style is largely self-explanatory. Children who fall into this category tend to write things down and excel at taking notes during a lecture or while reading their textbooks.
Reading/writing learners enjoy reading stories and writing their own stories and tend to do best when they have written instructions they can refer to as they work through an assignment.
You can promote healthy learning for your student by offering them a quiet place to do their work, putting together checklists that allow them to mark off tasks as they go, and helping them organize their written notes.
Determining Which Learning Styles Children Use
Maybe you already know which learning style your child is strongest in. But maybe he shows signs of a few of them and you’re not sure which one to implement.
The best way to figure this out is to spend some time watching your child. Perhaps you pay a visit to the classroom and observe from the back, or maybe you simply watch how they approach homework.
Other ways you can determine your child’s learning style is to watch what kind of toys and activities your child gravitates toward. Does your child enjoy quiet games and books or do they love being active and moving around?
Does your child like sports or do they prefer to sit and read? Does your child need written instructions or do they listen to verbal instructions?
Your child may exhibit a few traits from several of the learning styles. You’re looking for the one that they are most proficient in. Perhaps your child likes playing soccer, but learns best by reading and writing down information.
In that case, your child is a reading/writing learner, despite also having a trait that belongs in the kinesthetic learning category.
If you’re still unsure, your child’s teacher is a great resource. The Montessori and child education style of teaching is a popular one and can help you determine your child’s learning style early, often before kindergarten.
Using Your Child’s Learning Style
Now that you have a better idea of the learning styles children are using, you probably have a better understanding of which one your student is most proficient in.
This is a valuable tool for helping them succeed in school. Even when kids return to the classroom in a “normal” capacity, you can use what you know about learning styles to assist with homework and special projects.
Turning your kids into smart, kind, helpful, and moral people is your ultimate parenting goal. Let us help with our handy information about helping kids learn other important skills they’ll need as they grow.
