Hey parents, one of the important things we need to know about our kids is how they learn. We don’t have to leave this to their teachers to figure out. There are different learning styles everyone exhibits from childhood to adulthood. The more you know about these different types of learning styles, the more prepared you will be to help your children learn a new skill, idea, language, or concept.
I will discuss different learning styles in children as well as how to recognize and utilize them.
There are 7 broad learning styles. They are:
- Visual
: Learn mainly through pictures and images to help them process information. - Auditory (Aural)
: Prefer using sound and music. They primarily respond to music and sounds. They learn through rhythms or tend to use clever rhymes to remember something. - Verbal (linguistic): Here, using words in speech and writing are preferred. They learn best under verbal instruction and writing.
- Logical (mathematical): Learn mostly through the use of logic, reasoning and systems. They love to understand the reason behind contents, concepts, skills or things in general.
- Solitary (intrapersonal): Prefer to work alone and use self-study. They may not be an introvert as regards their personality but they just love to study and learn on their own.
- Social (interpersonal): Preference is for group learning with others
- Physical (kinesthetic): Learn mostly through their body, hands and sense of touch. They learn best by going through the motions of what they are learning- by demonstration. I call them the ‘doers’.
Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances. There is no right mix, neither are your styles fixed. It may depend on what needs to be learnt or the learning environment.