All children are blessed with a natural curiosity, one that often leads them to discovery and learning. When your child is young, most of the world around them is filled with new experiences. Each child learns slightly differently, and though you may not know exactly what it is at first, it’s important to cater your child’s learning to their unique learning style. Understanding how your child learns new material and skills will help make their education and development a better experience for everyone, and will help your child to learn more efficiently.
In order to discover your child’s learning style, you must first be able to properly identify between the different types of learning styles. From there, you can begin to adapt this learning style into your child’s games, activities, and education. Let’s first take a look at the different learning styles in children.
Learning Styles In Children
There are three main learning styles in which children will fall: auditory or language learners, visual learners, and kinaesthetic / tactile learners. While it is likely that your child can learn in more than one way, most children have a dominant style of learning. Though some learning cues overlap between styles, it is fairly easy to distinguish which style your child may prefer.
Auditory or language learners develop through listening to what others have to say, as well as talking about what they are learning. Auditory learners may talk to themselves while learning something new, and will often find that information is remembered through talking it aloud. Children who are auditory learners also enjoy group discussions over working alone.
Visual learners develop through watching. Thought to be the most dominant learning style, many traditional classrooms will be aimed towards visual learning. Visual learners remember visual details, and will prefer to see instructions demonstrated or written down.
Kinaesthetic or tactile learners develop by being actively involved in the learning process through hands-on activities. Tactile learners like to touch things in order to learn about them, and want to actually do whatever is being taught or learned.
Part of the process of discovering and identifying which learning style your child falls into is also discovering what kind of a learner you are as a parent. We tend to teach in the style that we prefer to learn, which may or may not align with our children. For example, if you are a visual learner, but your child is an auditory learner, it is helpful to be aware of this fact, and either cater to their needs, or find a happy medium. If you are still unsure, you can even take a learning personality quiz for your child to better suit their development.
Helping Within Your Child’s Learning Style
Once you have discovered your child’s learning style, you can begin to help your child to learn more efficiently. There are a number of ways in which you can help your child learn, and further engage in their education.
Since auditory learners develop through listening and speaking, the best way to assist with their learning is to talk through their learning. Allow your child to talk to you or aloud to themselves while learning. Read through written instructions, use word associations, and recite important information aloud to help commit details to memory. Limit distracting noises for auditory learners, as this may interfere with learning.
Visual learners benefit from actually seeing what they are learning. Having writing utensils and paper handy will help visual learners jot down thoughts and lessons. Flash cards, highlighting, underlining, and colour-coding will help your child commit information to memory.
Kinaesthetic / tactile learners benefit from moving and being actively involved. Doing hands-on activities, such as playing games or with construction toys, will help your child commit information to memory. While reading, speaking aloud, and tracking words on a page with a finger will help tactile learners stay engaged. Don’t forget to take frequent breaks to ensure your child doesn’t get distracted mid-lesson from lack of movement.
Blended Learning Styles at Childventures
The Childventures blended curriculum, created from a combination of three complementary teaching models, encompasses all of the learning styles your children may fall into. Through the Montessori, High Scope, and Core Knowledge models, your child will be able to hear, see, and actively experience all aspects of their learning. Opportunities for small group and individual play also ensure your child has time to learn both within and outside of their dominant learning comfort zone; all with the assistance of qualified educators to guide their learning.
If you have discovered your child’s learning style, and would like to learn more about how Childventures can be a part of your child’s adventure in learning, contact us to book a tour at any one of our four locations.
