This article is part of the following topics: Back to School Early Elementary School Elementary School Get Involved at School High School Kindergarten Learning & Achievement Middle School
What Is Your Child’s Learning Style?
Understanding how your child learns can reduce frustration and improve achievement.
If your child constantly squirms and fidgets when he’s doing math homework or insists on listening to music while studying vocabulary words, take heart. Although it may seem like he’s trying to drive you crazy, he’s probably just using the strategies that help him learn.
“I like to study at a desk in silence, and my daughter can’t think that way. She likes to bounce around on a ball with music in the background,” says author Maureen McKay, whose website, Optimistic Outcomes, provides tips for parents based on a child’s learning style. “Sometimes kids are just doing what works for them.”
Educators have long been aware that learning is not one-size-fits-all. In a typical classroom, some kids process information best by hearing the teacher explain it, some learn by seeing what’s on the chalkboard, and others learn through hands-on exercises. Colleges have increasingly begun teaching new students about learning styles so they can develop effective study habits. And many primary and secondary schools conduct surveys to give teachers insight into the learning styles of their students. Three basic learning styles are auditory, kinesthetic, and visual.
Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities.
Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.
Most people use a combination of styles but have a clear preference for one. Understanding your child’s learning style can reduce homework frustrations and make it easier for families to communicate, says McKay. She observed different learning styles while working as a teacher’s aide, and she started researching strategies for working with different learning styles when her daughter began having trouble in elementary school.
Because her daughter had difficulty listening in class, McKay looked for exercises to strengthen listening skills. Her daughter especially enjoyed one approach, listening to an audio book and reading the book at the same time. She’s now doing well in middle school, and McKay attributes her success in part to the fact that her teachers and parents came to understand her unique style of learning.
Once you know your child’s primary learning style, it’s a good idea to let his teacher know what kind of approaches help him learn best. “I find that educators are much more willing to work with you if you’re giving them ideas that work for your child,” McKay says. “The great thing is that the things that benefit your child are really going to benefit all the kids, so you’re not asking for the moon.”
Although it may be tempting to stick with what works, keep in mind that a child’s preferred learning style may change as she grows and that people who can learn in a variety of ways can more readily absorb information. McKay advises parents to help their children practice using different kinds of skills.
“Really well-balanced students will be able to be comfortable learning in all ways. Knowing that and working on that when they’re young gives them a competitive edge,” she says.
Parents can use a variety of approaches to help kids learn math facts, for example. When a kid gets bored with flash cards, a visual and auditory strategy, McKay suggests letting him play a family board game that uses two dice and asking him to count how many spaces each player should advance. This is a more kinesthetic approach but may also appeal to visual and auditory learners.
“Being able to tap in to different styles allows you a lot of novelty and adds a lot of fun to homework and chores and interactions at home,” McKay explains. For example, if a child resists studying her spelling words, you can ask her to spell the words on a table using Scrabble tiles.
Being aware of your child’s learning style can reduce homework battles and strengthen parent-child relationships. “It’s very empowering for families to really understand each other and how they learn and how they think to work out problems,” McKay says. “This kind of involvement is a great way to bond with your kids and to impart knowledge, and it’s really fun.”
Homework Tips for Each Learning Style
Auditory learners are typically good at absorbing information from spoken words. Strategies that work well for auditory learners include:
- Talking to themselves or with others about what they’re learning
- Reciting important information aloud, perhaps recording it and playing it back
- Reading a book and listening to the audio book at the same time
- Using word associations
- Setting information to a tune and singing it to help remember it
- Limiting distracting noises
Kinesthetic learners prefer to be active while studying and may not be able to focus while sitting still. Strategies for kinesthetic learners include:
- Reading aloud and tracking words on a page with a finger
- Writing things down multiple times to commit them to memory
- Highlighting and underlining
- Playing with a stress ball or toy while studying
- Moving around or taking frequent breaks
- Doing hands-on activities, such as building models or playing games
Visual learners benefit from seeing information on a chalkboard or in an illustration and may grow impatient listening for long periods of time. Strategies for visual learners include:
- Using flash cards
- Studying charts, tables, and maps
- Drawing illustrations
- Writing things down and reviewing notes
- Highlighting and underlining
- Color-coding information
If you found this article helpful, sign up for our email newsletter and get all the latest tips and information delivered right to your inbox.
More information and ideas to help your kids in school this year:
Posted by - khkkkk on Aug. 17, 2010
i dont like what you give 6th graders if your goin o do your job do it right alright buh byePosted by troubledteens on Jul. 31, 2010
There are many kids and teenagers suffering from learning disability problem that can be of reading, writing or non verbal learning difficulties. Learning disorder causes stress and frustration and teens become under-pressure. Learning disabled children need special educational programs that can fulfill their needs and demands. There are special therapeutic boarding schools for troubled boys and girls that help them in achieving excellence in each aspect of life. Counselors also prescribe medication treatments and therapy programs for reducing depression, anxiety and stress from life.http://www.troubledteens.net/Problems-in-Teens/Learning-Disabilities-of-Kids.html
Posted by - LAtamaya williams on Jun. 06, 2010
my child needed help with reading she is delay she adhd.Posted by - Mei on Feb. 27, 2009
Hi, exactly what i have been looking for. My daughter is a visual learner. Unfortunately her school system method of teaching benefits auditory learners. I am a working parent and trying to find resourceful ways and ideas to get her to fit in and do well at school. Hope you can help. Thanks.Posted by - Marsha on Feb. 09, 2009
This article was extremely helpful. My two year old granddaughter is both a visual and kinesthetic learner. I have noticed that when I try toteach her something by voicing it to her, she will just repeat what I am
saying, but it doesn't sink in. When I teach her with flash cards or by letting her actually touch materials I use in the teaching process, she grasps what I am trying to teach her and retains much more. Great article.
Posted by - Lani Harac, SchoolFamily.com on Nov. 03, 2008
Hi, AA -- We do have a "Learning Styles Quiz" in a checklist format to help you do just that -- it's at http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/836-learning-styles-quizYou can also get to it from the Related Links box at the beginning of this article. I think it might be just what you're looking for.
Posted by - AA on Nov. 02, 2008
Could you add a quiz or checklist to help us determine our child's or own learning style?Posted by - Angela Tyler on Oct. 29, 2008
Another thing to take into consideration is your child's Homework Personality, an idea similar to learning styles. I have found that when parents support their children's homework personality, many of those homework battles and problems magically disappear.Posted by - R. Gray on Oct. 17, 2008
This information is very helpful. However I find that my grandson is a little of all three depending on the subject. We seem to sruggle in science. If you have any suggestions as to how I can help him in this subject I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much.Posted by - SHERI LEE on Oct. 08, 2008
Thank you for the information to help my children This will be very useful to me Thank you Sheri LeePosted by - Angela on Sep. 25, 2008
My child is both a Kinesthetic learner and a Visual learner. Thanks to a test i found, My fifth grader can study properly without a problem!Posted by - Angela on Sep. 19, 2008
My 3rd child is in kindergarten now and I find this to be a great early intervention tool. In my search to help me help the school I found this test to prove true for my child. He is a kinesthetic learner. This is a great help to stop the LABEL of ADHD!Posted by - vanessa on Sep. 17, 2008
this quiz was vary helpfulPosted by - tora augusta on Sep. 05, 2008
i think learning types are very important to know for learning.Posted by - Diane on Aug. 31, 2008
This will be a wonderful reference for the parent whose daughter I am tutoring.She is repeating 5th grade, so, between Title I, parent guidance and my tutoring, I hope she will have a great year!
Posted by - Yule on Aug. 29, 2008
I think, this is really interest to know my learning styles. Now, I can get an idea of my needs to do better on school.Posted by - Nikki on Aug. 29, 2008
I think that this quiz was really true because for me, everything that it said fits.Posted by - SERIA G on Aug. 29, 2008
much love for helping me out wit this i can finally concentrate on my home work now wit no distractionsPosted by - Terrence Allen on Aug. 27, 2008
Reading the brief descriptoin of an auditory learner i can truly say it fits me. I like when teachers make visuals, lecture and do hands on activitiesin class.Posted by - Beverly on Aug. 26, 2008
Learning style and interest inventory for high school freshmenPosted by - sherrika on Aug. 26, 2008
My child is both auditory and kinesthic learner.thanks
Posted by - Nikole on Aug. 25, 2008
THANK YOU i am about to graduate highschool and now understanding my learning style is going to help me out alot. I plan on going to College and this will help me understand what type of teachers and classes to look for and it also explains why i have struggled in certain classes. Now that I know I am a Kinesthetic and auditory learner, I can conitnue learning and growing! THANK YOU AGAIN!Posted by - Chris on Aug. 04, 2008
Thank you for this information. This will help me understand the best way to help my daughter. She is a combination of kinesthic and visual learner. We will try some of the suggestions. Thank you again.Posted by - TShaw on Jul. 01, 2008
My child is both an auditory, and a kinesthic learner. I now finally know how to teach my son without us both getting upset and frustrated. THANKS! TShawPosted by - Johanna on Jun. 12, 2008
When I learned about learning styles as a teacher, I found out my own learning style. This helped me to understand my own frustration when faced with new information in meetings, classes, or even at church. I am a visual learner who also learns by doing. So if I'm listening to a speaker with no visual aids, expect me to be bored or my mind to wander. My children are like this as well. My son is an auditory learner, and if I help him study hard tasks by talking through them, he remembers them 10 times easier than if he studied them by himself. Some kids who are labelled as hyper-active simply are kinestic and need to be doing something in order to learn. Knowing this makes parenting (and teaching) so much easier!