Learning styles for kids are referred to as the different ways of educating, retaining and processing information. Young children mostly learn through several meaningful hands-on exercises that include moving, touching and doing. Along with that children also learn from hearing and seeing. While observing your child, you’ll notice that he/she undergoes specific learning preferences and strengths that will let you know about his/her preferred learning style.
Kumon is a child learning centre that helps to identify the best learning style for your kids and encourage their strengths. But along with it, Kumon also challenges them with various other learning techniques and areas. These unique experiences and learnings will help your kids in developing new strengths and interests that will expand their understanding of the world.
What are the different styles of learning?
The major types of learning styles for kids include
- Tactile (learning through touch)
- Visual (learning through seeing)
- Auditory (learning through hearing)
- Kinesthetic (learning through moving and doing)
Tactile
Tactile learners are the kids who prefer to use their hands to accomplish projects and activities. These might include drawing, painting or doodling to aid their memory. They tend to learn better when involved in any physical activity. These children mostly use physical gestures to speak. After school programs in India are versatile platforms that offer many activities for tactile learners such as art projects, acting stories and taking walks.
Visual
Visual learners are the kids who prefer learning through seeing and observing. They observe their teacher’s or parent’s facial expressions and body language to find out content and learn through descriptions and demonstrations. They often think in pictures and have fully-grown imaginations. A high level of action or movement in a classroom might cause them distractions. Kids who are visual learners are most likely to be neat and clean. They often close their eyes to remember or visualise things. They are most likely to get distracted by booming sounds.
Auditory
Also known as auditory processors, auditory learners mostly learn through listening by taking part in discussions and talking about things. They mostly clarify instructions and written information through verbal directions. Kids with auditory learning strengths learn best in a quiet environment, whereas high noise may cause them a distraction. If you are an auditory learner, you might probably talk or hum to yourself or others when bored. You may be sometimes misunderstood for not paying attention, even though you were hearing and understanding.
Kinesthetic
Kinesthetic learners learn things effectively through doing or moving. Being more kinesthetic, they learn quickly through physical sensations. Just like tactical learners, they also find it difficult to sit still for long sessions. They are highly active and take frequent breaks during their tasks.
How to determine the learning style of your child?
The best way is to observe your kid when he/she is doing something. Their preferences, actions and interests will make you informed about how he/she is processing any information.
Apart from that, you can also consult with your family members to develop an inventory of activities and objects that help you find out your kid’s learning style. In this way, you can also know which things are meaningful to your child and which objects he/she is interested in.
Wrapping It Up
Children are highly influenced by their parents and teachers. Knowing how a kid prefers to learn can help us improve the way to teach them. After school programs in India such as Kumon are designed in a way that helps in supporting the strengths and needs of children. We have introduced various learning styles that students are supposed to participate in, along with the experiences that they may not often go through.