How to Identify Your Child’s Learning Style – We all have our own preferred way of learning. For some that’s reading and writing straight from a textbook whilst others enjoy getting hands-on and the opportunity to apply what they’ve learnt to the real world. The way in which we absorb information is known as our learning style. The three that are the most commonly recognised are the “visual”, “kinaesthetic” and “auditory” learning styles.
How to Identify Your Child’s Learning Style
Knowing which is most applicable to your child will allow you to support them with their studies. It helps you to identify how their learning should be structured and gives an insight into how they should be preparing for their tests. For instance, if you know that they are a visual learner, you can provide them with lots of coloured pens and paper, and books to revise from.
Below is some guidance from a primary school in Buckinghamshire on the different learning styles and how best to support children with their education.
The Visual Learning Style
As the name implies, visual learners tend to absorb information that they have seen or read, rather than been told verbally. Graphs, charts, videos, and any way that you can display information visually can help this type of learner to take new information on board. If you feel that your child is a visual learner, you may want to ask their teacher about sitting them closer to the board where they can see clearly.
The Auditory Learning Style
Auditory learners learn best by hearing things said out loud and by being given repeated instructions. Like visual learners, they may benefit from sitting closer to the front so that they can hear what’s being said clearly and contribute. In terms of learning materials, podcasts and revision videos may be useful. They could even create these for themselves by recording them reading their notes out loud. Your child might also like to have some background music playing whilst they study.
The Kinaesthetic Learning Style
Unlike the other two learning styles discussed above, those belonging to this group prefer experiments, field trips and any opportunity to apply what they learn. They learn best through hands-on means and learn on the go as they require examples. This also means that they are generally drawn to subjects like science, art, PE, and drama, that facilitate this kind of learning. Kinaesthetic learners tend to be quite fidgety and often struggle to sit still for lengthy periods of time.
If you’re unsure as to which category your child falls under based on observations, you may find a short quiz like this VARK survey helpful. They will need to answer truthfully and it’s important to note that there aren’t any right or wrong answers. The questions will be personality based to determine how they process information.
This article provides a simplified view of learning styles, covering the three that are the most common. The list goes on and there are various others that you can explore with your child. According to some, there are a possible 8 – there are visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, verbal, logical, social, solo, and natural learning styles.
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About Debz Louise
Debz Louise is a UK-based lifestyle expert and the founder of several lifestyle blogs. Specialising in everything from interior design and home renovation to body-positive fashion and parenting, Debz brings a wealth of hands-on experience to every guide. Her mission at Stereotude is to simplify the modern world for her readers through expert curation and fiercely honest advice.