How To Find Out Your Child’s Learning Style (and Use It to Their Advantage)

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A child’s education can be a rollercoaster. Your child goes to school and they find themselves in a whole new world, but they also find themselves struggling with certain parts of the academic world. We all learn and process information differently, which is why if you want your child to get a headstart in life, you could benefit from learning what their learning style is. Beyond staring at books and boards, children and adults learn information differently. So what does it take to discover your child's learning style so you can give them a solid foundation of effective learning? 

The Different Learning Styles

There are three main types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. Children may show a balance among all three, but they usually lean towards one style over the others. While there are a number of quizzes you can take online, you can use some of the information below to learn about each style. 

Visual Learners

A visual learner is more observant of the world around them. You may find them looking at more photographs and illustrations in books and paintings, but they will also tend to enjoy screen stimulation, such as TV or movies. These are the types of individuals that would benefit more from educational videos, arts, crafts, and books. 

Auditory Learners

They are drawn to sounds. They may be musical or show an aptitude for singing and playing instruments, will usually follow directions very well, and may also have verbal strengths. These are children that would benefit from reading out loud, but will also show a love for discussions and will also perk up when they hear dialog or music. 

Kinaesthetic Learners

These are physical. You will know if your child is particularly good at this, as they usually excel at sports or have a strong sense of balance. This type of learner usually uses gestures or counts with fingers. You may also notice that they need to move or fidget while processing information, and may have shown signs of early physical development, such as crawling or walking before other kids. 

How To Determine Their Learning Style

There are things that we can all do as parents to understand an overriding learning style. These include the following:

Observing Your Child 

If your child is more comfortable learning a specific style, they're going to be more expressive in that style. If your child is an auditory learner, it may appear like they're not paying attention and tend to talk more; kinesthetic learners will express themselves through body language or imitate others; visual learners are more likely to be watching others' faces or maybe expressing themselves. 

Look at Their Interests

A key way to determine their learning style is reflected in the things that they are interested in. If your child is more interested in music, it's very likely that they are an auditory learner and may be able to learn words to songs easily, but struggle to remember what they have read. Visual learners will be interested in visual stimuli like photographs, television, or books and also have vivid imaginations. Kinesthetic learners are actually interested in physical activities and like to do every type of sport and want to keep their hands busy. 

Looking at How They Solve Problems

Children will draw their strengths that equate to their learning styles. An auditory learner will discuss solutions to problems or talk to themselves as they do their homework, visual learners may use their eyes to solve specific problems, and kinesthetic learners will try to solve problems with their hands, for example, using flashcards as a learning tool. They may also have an interest in building. 

What You Need To Consider

Identifying cues is a good way to ascertain their learning style, but it's so easy for us to make certain assumptions about our children. You may think that genetics has a big part to play, but while you may believe that you know your child better than anybody, you have to remember that grand assumptions are not always the best way to go. 

For example, some people think girls are better at certain things and boys are better than others. The fact is that learning styles are normally associated with one parent or have a blend of styles from both. If you can identify yourself as an auditory learner and you recognize some of these strengths in your child, it is likely that they are one too, however, you need to go further to get more information. 

At this point, you could talk to people who interact with your child outside of the household. In a school environment, your child is going to be a different individual than who they are at home. At home, they may be more comfortable, but when your child is in school learning for such a long intensive period of time, you would benefit from asking a teacher or daycare provider to give some insights into how your child learns. 

Helping Your Child Thrive

Now is the point where we have to help our children excel based on their learning style. Whether you just want to help with homework or you are homeschooling them, you've got to understand the best methods of teaching your child. 

If you want to teach an auditory learner, you've got to read out loud and incorporate musical songs into your teaching. For example, if your child needs to learn specific quotes or an equation, you can put it into musical form. Flashcards and videos are great for visual learners. Kinesthetic learners will benefit from hands-on projects. If you want to teach them about music, you need to get them an instrument. 

You also need to teach your children ways to study based on their learning style. Learning styles are such an important aspect of how we can all interact with information and materials. One of the best things we can all do is take a test to identify what our learning style is. 

While your child may have one type of learning style they may prefer, the fact is some children have a combination of styles. It can be an amazing resource to have, and if you want your child to excel, understanding their learning style is a great place to begin.