As much as you want to be a part of your kids’ academic life, the truth is that they have to do most of the learning on their own. Your job as a parent is to help them excel in a way that works best for them.
So how can you help your child learn?
To begin, you need to understand how your child best absorbs information.
What Is Learning Style?
Learning style refers to the way a person prefers to learn about something new. It includes things like using their eyes or ears or through physical movement and hands-on experience. For some people, reading about it is enough; for others, it takes more than just reading words on a page—they need visuals like pictures or videos as well.
There are four main types of learning styles: Visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (touching) and Reading, and writing.
If one type doesn’t work well enough alone, then another might work better together with it for students to fully comprehend what they are learning about, This is called multimodal learning.
Now let us have a quick guide to understanding the types of learning styles. As you read through you will find the category your child fit into and tips to help them succeed.
The Auditory Learner
Auditory learners process information best by listening or talking about it. You will know your child is this type of learner if they enjoy hearing stories read aloud to them, participate in class discussions, and can explain things verbally well.
Auditory learners benefit from having books on tape, listening to music while they study and discussing what they are learning with others.
If you have an auditory learner at home, try using these strategies to help them succeed in school:
Encourage them to sit up front in class so they can hear the teacher better.
Have them read aloud as much as possible (but make sure they are not disturbing anyone else).
Have them read out loud when studying for a test.
Pair up with another student for study sessions.
The Visual Learner
Visual learners prefer the textbook over the lecture. They learn best from seeing things instead of hearing them. You may have noticed that your child prefers reading instead of listening to a story read aloud, likes mind maps over lengthy notes, or likes using colour-coded flashcards.
Diagrams and visual aids, as well as taking notes during lectures or meetings, are beneficial to visual learners. They also do well with highlighting and using bolded or italicized text for emphasis.
Tips To Help A Visual Learner Succeed:
-Use flashcards
-Use highlighters and colour-coded notes
-Encourage them to take notes during lectures
-Work in a quiet environment with few distractions
-Kinesthetic Learners
Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. They remember information best when they have performed it physically and used their bodies to explore the topic. They need to move around and touch things to build their understanding of the material.
They often doodle or fidget, which can be distracting to other students but is an important part of their learning process.
A kinesthetic learner needs to have a variety of tools available for them to take in information. A lecture or talk will probably not be enough for them they need something more active than that. Giving them a chance to move around while absorbing information (like taking notes while standing up instead of sitting down), and building in opportunities for hands-on work can be critical in helping a kinesthetic learner succeed.
Some activities that can help a kinesthetic learner include dancing, writing, drawing, playing sports, lifting weights, and building with blocks, Lego bricks, or other construction sets.
It is important not just to find things that are suitable for your kinesthetic learner it’s also important to make sure those activities don’t overshadow the rest of the content you need your child to learn. While there are many great kinesthetic learning tools out there (including some online games
Some tips to help kinesthetic learners succeed:
Having them cut out and label keywords or phrases in a lecture
Have students work in groups to create skits or role plays that demonstrate the knowledge they have just gained.
Using physical props that correspond to the concept being taught, i.e. having students pretend to be elements on the periodic table
Reading and writing learner
Reading and writing learners can absorb information by reading and writing. They may also prefer to read or write things down to remember them, instead of hearing them out loud or watching them demonstrated. You may also find that you can more easily articulate things by writing than by speaking.
Reading and writing learners often enjoy reading books and journals, taking notes, writing reports, doing homework, sending emails and letters, filling out forms, sending texts or posting online.
Tips To Help A Visual Learner Succeed:
Make reading a priority.
Make sure your child can read comfortably.
Have your child read aloud to you
Read aloud to your child.
Help your child pick books at his or her reading level.
Visit the library with your child Often.
Write letters together. Write thank-you notes, birthday cards, invitations.
Knowing your child’s learning style can help you be a more effective teacher to them, as well as help them be more successful in school
