How to Identify Your Child’s Learning Style

“How do you know your child’s learning style?” That is the question that many homeschooling parents ask themselves when teaching their children. Some kids learn better when they have a hands-on experience. Others learn best from reading and writing. Still others may be more visual learners who need to see things in order to understand them. If you are not sure what your child’s learning style is, then this blog post is for you! We will talk about how to identify your child’s learning style and discuss in detail the three main types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile learners.

Our Personal Experience

When my son was in his early elementary years, I had many ideas how to teach him. But it soon became clear that his learning style differs from mine quite significantly. I love workbooks and am motivated by filling out page after page of information. My son was never interested in workbooks, but as long as he “heard” the lesson, he was able to retain it in his mind. So the question arose: How can we make homeschooling work for both of us with minimum stress-filled days? And this is where my research started.

Why Is It Important to Know Your Child’s Learning Style?

First of all, let us consider WHY you should understand your child’s learning preferences. The fact is that this understanding will…

1. Help you choose the best curriculum: There are many excellent and highly regarded curricula on the market. However, even the best of the best may not be suitable for your child. We have purchased several top-of-the-line curricula in our homeschooling journey just to set them aside only after a few pages.
2. Save you money: If your child gets distracted by colorful images in textbooks, a black-and-white basic curriculum will be a better option for you; it is also more cost-effective. We have tried a number of spelling books until we were able to fully identify my son’s learning style. However, since we did, his spelling recall has increased dramatically.
3. Make the most of your learning time: If your child is a primarily visual learner, for example, lessons delivered in an MP3 format will have a reduced retention rate.
4. Increase motivation levels: If lessons are tailored to a child’s natural learning style, they are more likely to enjoy them.
5. Enjoy better attitudes: Instead of fighting through the school year, you’ll be able to learn and have fun together.

What Are the Main Learning Styles?

There are several ways to categorize learning styles. The most common division is into three, four and seven categories. In order to get foundational understanding of these learning styles we will consider the basic division of three:

1. Visual learners make up the largest number in population. These children learn the best by reading, writing, watching, and drawing. They are great at remembering things they have seen or read and can often recite information word for word. The students that fall into this category are very creative individuals who love working with colors and images in addition to words. They will often enjoy writing stories or drawing pictures throughout a lesson to help them learn concepts.
2. Auditory learners, the second most common type, are also known as auditory-verbal learners. They learn best when the material is spoken to them in an engaging way with lots of examples and demonstrations. Auditory learners also prefer to talk about what they know instead of writing it down. Independent online learning may not be the best option for these students as they thrive in talking about what they are learning. You may very often hear them read their assignments aloud. While many learners get distracted by sounds while studying, auditory learners will often have music playing in the background. Many times they turn out to be excellent musicians.
3. Kinesthetic/tactile learners transfer what they have learned by doing something with it, therefore the best way for them to learn is through hands-on experience. For example, if you teach your child math using manipulatives like blocks and beads, they will remember it much better than just reading about it. They also learn best through physical activities. They may prefer to read or hear information but find it difficult to remember what they have learned unless the experience is linked with movement or use of their senses. These types of learners are usually great athletes.

The division into four categories, as we mentioned above, adds reading/writing style to the previous three. These learners thrive most when the new information is presented to them in words whether by writing or reading. If your child is reading/writing learner then in order to maximize their learning, book reading and written assignments help them most.

If you would like to learn more about learning styles divided into categories of seven, I highly recommend the infographic presented by Educational Technology and Mobile Learning called The 7 Styles of Learning.

How to Identify Your Child’s Learning Style?

While it may appear intimidating to determine your child’s learning style, you should know that it is not as difficult as you may believe. To begin with, many children demonstrate a mix of two learning styles; therefore don’t be limited by thinking about just one.

While there is no single, definitive way to know your child’s learning style, there are several key pieces of the puzzle. Look for patterns and consider your child’s information retention rate while you spend time with them. You can start by considering these questions:

1. Do they learn the best by reading, writing, watching, and drawing?
2. Do they learn most effectively through listening or conversation?
3. Is it more effective to teach them through physical activities?
4. Do they learn better by themselves or in a group setting?
5. And similar questions like these.

Sometimes, it is easy to identify your child’s learning style right away. Other times, you will need some time and patience before you can figure out what their preferred way of absorbing information is. Remember that there are no wrong or better styles; just different ways of processing information. If you realize that the method for identifying your child’s learning style was not effective, don’t worry and keep observing. You will eventually see the patterns of your child’s behavior. You can also talk to other homeschooling parents and see if any of their experiences match yours. Furthermore, determining your child’s most dominant learning style should serve as a guide, but it should not be used to prevent them from experiencing other methods of learning. Learning in a variety of methods actually gives the children a broader perspective and teaches them to be more adaptable. And, after all, if one curriculum doesn’t work for you, there are numerous other alternatives to explore.

Have you been successful in collaborating with your child’s learning style? Please let us know in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!