What is your child's learning style?

What tools or materials do you use to help them to learn?

 

For many years I would have said that my personal learning style is visual. Then I took a learning styles test (don't know the name of it). I found that actually my primary learning style is auditory with a strong visual component. Because of that understanding, I now listen for info and make notes on it for my memory. DD, on the other hand, is strongly kinesthetic. When asked for a phone number that she "knows by heart," one can observe her fingers move on an imaginary keypad. She happens to also be dyslexic. I punched upper and lower case alphabet sets out of the very flat sponges then soaked them to become good manipulatives for her. I also wrote spelling words on her back with my finger. She practiced them by writing them in cursive on her leg.

Anna Marie:

Then I took a learning styles test (don't know the name of it). I found that actually my primary learning style is auditory with a strong visual component.

Some people are harder than others to peg and I think some have more than one way of learning.

 I have to read something to be able to begin understanding or retaining it. My children are all different from me. This was the hardest part of understanding how to teach them. It went against what I knew and was comfortable with.

Anna Marie:

I punched upper and lower case alphabet sets out of the very flat sponges then soaked them to become good manipulatives for her. I also wrote spelling words on her back with my finger. She practiced them by writing them in cursive on her leg.

I never tried that with sponges, that's nifty! I did use magnets and foam letters and numbers. We also did writing with bath soaps on them and the walls for their  letters, finger painting their name and squirting their name on cement with a water gun.

 

 

My son is more kinesthetic. As he's become better at reading, I think there's a visual element starting to take hold too. Listening, forget about it.

Lately, it's all about multiplication. We've been using corks - lining them up by fours, or whatever fact we're on, and then counting the lines of four. We've also used stuffed animals (again for the fours, since all of his have four legs!). I've also found some video games at multiplication.com that appeal to him. There are some that are races, and others that just repeat the facts.

He's definitely the kind of kid who learns best by doing!

Brandy:

I have to read something to be able to begin understanding or retaining it. My children are all different from me. This was the hardest part of understanding how to teach them. It went against what I knew and was comfortable with.

Brandy, you could be describing me exactly. I learn best by reading and re-reading. Maybe a little by doing, after I read about it. And my son is so not like that, so it's been a little uncomfortable for me there too. I had to get a book and READ about the different learning styles!

 

MamaJ:

Maybe a little by doing, after I read about it

Yes indeed. It works that way, at least for us it does.

It took me awhile and some research as well to gain a better understanding of my children. We chose a curriculum and method completely different than what we started out with. It is working better for the kids.

 

 

 

My oldest can read something one time and retain all of it. I don't know if he has a photographic memory or not. My younger son can watch something being done and catches on that way. I'm better at picking up information from visual or listening to something. I wish I could read and comprehend like my oldest son.

My son is a very hands on/kinesthetic learner.  Which is kinda ironic because he has pretty big delays with fine motor skills.  Writting is an issue right now.  We're using different techniques to help with it.  Writting in shaving cream or fingerapaint.  Using triangular shaped pencils seems to help as well.  Working on getting his grip strengthened by using hand/finger grips so he can hold his pencil better.

 

mommatothree:

he has pretty big delays with fine motor skills.  Writting is an issue right now.

I think writing is one of those things that doesn't fit so neatly into the category activities. I had to use different things that my children more involved in forming letters like finger painting them before they could manage holding a pencil and forming those same letters.

 

To practice writing on a larger scale, you might try using sidewalk chalk on a driveway or parking lot. Also, writing in the sand or the mud can be fun and useful at the same time. AM

 DS#1- left brain visual - he loves lists, charts, LOVES workbooks

DS#2 - right brain visual - I have to use color markers and pictures for him

DS#3 - I've been having trouble figuring him out.  I know he is left brained.  We picked up him some glasses today so I'm hoping I see something more identifiable now.