Every child is unique and learns in a particular way. There are three basic styles of learning: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Most children’s learning styles are a combination of two or all of these basic styles. It is important to know your child’s learning style to make it easier for you to help him strengthen his skills in the areas where he is weakest. But how do you know your child’s learning style?
It helps to know that most children begin as kinesthetic learners. We humans first learn by direct involvement, by touching, and by doing. By the age of four or five, the learning style of a child begins to take shape and become discernible.
My child is now four years old, and I guess his learning style is a combination of all of the three learning styles but favoring the visual learning style. I can say that he uses all three learning styles because it shows every single day. I can safely say that he is comfortable with the auditory style of learning because he enjoys conversations a lot and often cannot wait for his turn to talk. He invents songs of his own. He can go on and on singing a melody that he invents out of the blue, grabbing words here and there, unmindful of the meaning. He is also very good at following verbal instructions.
But he’s also a kinesthetic learner because he prefers action stories, and when he talks he uses a lot of gestures to help explain his thoughts. He finds it easy to interpret music into a dance. He cannot resist music, and he invents his own dance when there is music.
But I’m quite sure that he’s more of a visual learner because he learns best when something is shown to him, how something is done.
How about you, do you know your child’s learning style? While your child is still young, determine her learning style. Knowing your child’s learning style could help in selecting a school or teacher for her.