How to identify your child’s primary learning style?
A child’s primary learning style can be identified by observing his interests, engagements, activities and expression. It is essential to know the learning style as it is vital in improving and motivating your child to grow in a wholesome and uncomplicated manner. In a class, the same lecture delivered to plenty of students is comprehended by each differently depending on their learning patterns and styles. Not all students understand every concept and subject equally. Their learning styles define which topics are their plus points. Therefore, by identifying their child’s primary learning style, parents and teachers can work on improving their learning by motivating them to learn through other patterns. The blog will help you know how to identify your child’s primary learning style.
Why is it important to know your child’s learning style?
Learning is innate to every human being. Children learn from a very early stage and adapt to their surroundings. To learn is to acquire knowledge by understanding it entirely and to be able to apply it in practical life. Depending on the environment and tools of learning, children process and understand differently. Even if the tools used are the same, children learn things differently based on their experiences and understanding of the subject. Every child is unique and has different ways of grasping things and individualistic learning patterns and styles. Thus, parents must examine and understand their child’s learning styles and work with them accordingly. While some children are natural learners, others need help quickly understanding or retaining any topic. Appropriate knowledge of different learning styles is crucial so teachers and parents can apply it to boost the child’s academic performance. Using the wrong learning style would only pressure the child and demotivate them because they would not be able to understand anything clearly despite all the hard work they put in. Therefore, to reduce exam stress and boost productivity in children, it is essential to understand and apply a suitable learning style.
What are a child’s primary learning styles?
Through his learning experiences, every child develops their learning style and pattern, which they realise later in life. Defining your learning style accurately can help you convert your hard work into innovative work. A few of the primary learning styles are-
- Auditory Learning is a learning style where children learn more efficiently by actively hearing, listening or speaking. Auditory learners prefer listening to topics and subjects rather than reading them, as eidetic memory isn’t their most vital point. The information and knowledge are retained and mainly recalled when fed through the aural senses. Debates and group discussions are efficient ways of jogging the memory of such learners.
- Visual Learners- Use visual information or elements to retain what is taught and delivered. Instead of listening, they note it through flowcharts and diagrams to help them quickly understand and store it in their long-term memory. Students under this learning style discover their learning power primarily in their eidetic memory. Their visual senses are more active, sharp and engaging, helping them build their knowledge based on visible things.
- Kinesthetic Learning– These students are more practical instead of theoretical learners. They rely on other senses, including touch, feeling, and movement. Visual and auditory agencies are insufficient for them; instead, they experiment with the subjects taught to learn, understand and draw their conclusions. They know better when they are engaged in activities and exercises.
How to determine a child’s primary learning style?
When trying to understand anything about your child, observation is the key. Learning styles are subconsciously developed in every child and differ for each individual. They measure your brain’s efficiency in inputting, processing and understanding information when fed a certain way. No child is aware of their learning style, and therefore, it can only be uncovered by observing their learning patterns, methods, failures, and alternative patterns that they adapt to learn. By identifying the child’s strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and challenges while learning, one can understand how they study most efficiently and productively.
- By considering your child’s interests – This is possible by looking into your child’s interests, actions, favourite activities and motivation for learning. While some are really into watching movies, some are into music, and others are into going out to play and create something new.
- By looking into your child’s expressions- How your child expresses themselves in daily life is also a peak in identifying their learning process. While auditory learners may be seen trying to talk and read out aloud, visual learners observe facial expressions and reveal their own through emotions too. Kinesthetic learners are quite touchy and use their hands trying to get a sense of everything.
- By observing how your child solves problems- Auditory learners develop a habit of talking to themselves while trying to solve a problem. They are often seen mumbling while looking for solutions. Visual learners are good at noticing things out of place and solving them based on their eidetic memory. Kinesthetic learners use their hands and experiment with things while looking for solutions.
All of this speaks a lot about your child’s interest and the working of their brain. Only when parents realise their child’s learning style can they help and work on it to help their child grow and bloom completely. It helps a child’s personal, professional, academic, and interpersonal development, leading to holistic growth.
Tips to enhance studies through every learning style
Every style is self-sufficient; working on the plus points can help your child enjoy learning while gaining knowledge from it.
- For auditory learners– Discussions, debates, recitations, listening to music, podcasts, and lectures are vital instigators of learning in auditory learners. Since their listening senses are heightened, any disturbance in the environment can cause distractions; therefore, a sound background is preferred during their learning process.
- For visual learners– Flowcharts, graphs, infographics, videos, powerpoints, colour coordinated texts, mind maps, and animations are great saviours for visual learners. Since these students thrive on their eidetic memory, they are not bothered by external sounds and can focus well. Their distraction and weakness are the limitations to learning visually and being allowed to grasp things only orally.
- For kinesthetic learners- Experiments, activities, physical learning, excursions and role-playing are great motivators in their learning process. They can not be taught traditionally within the four walls of a classroom by being lectured. They must connect theory with feelings, conclusions, successes and failures to help remember concepts and topics.
By paying attention to the child’s primary learning style, parents can guide their wards towards the right learning process and motivate them to develop their potential appropriately.
SKV is a residential school in Gwalior that focuses on providing holistic learning and modern education to its students, mentored by well-trained and experienced staff. Our mission is to inculcate traditional values equipped with modern learning in our students. Contact us for more details.