Does Your Child Learn Best By Seeing, Hearing, or Doing? Discover Learning Styles!

Discovering Your Child’s Unique Way of Learning

As parents, we all want to search for the best kindergarten or preschool near me and the best lesson plan for kindergarten for our child, aiming to give them the best possible start in life and set them up for success in their early childhood education years.One key factor that can make a huge difference is understanding their preferred learning style. You see, all kids may not learn the same way – each child has their own unique strengths and styles when it comes to absorbing and remembering new information.

Let me share about the four main learning styles that most educational experts recognize. Once you determine which one (or combination) fits your 4-6 year old best, you can tailor your approach to help them truly thrive!

The Four Main Learning Styles

The Visual Learner

These are the little ones who learn best by seeing. They tend to remember things better with pictures, diagrams, charts, and other visual aids. Drawing, watching videos, and using flashcards can all be very effective techniques for the visual learner. The downside is they may struggle more when only given verbal instructions.

The Auditory Learner

These kids pick up information best through listening and speaking. They love being read to, singing songs, and engaging in discussions. Auditory learners generally have excellent language skills and memories for things they’ve heard. However, they may find it harder to follow along when things are demonstrated visually without any auditory component.

The Tactile/Kinaesthetic Learner 

These are the hands-on learners – the ones who need to touch things and learn by doing. They struggle to sit still and absorb through just seeing or hearing. Activities like building, acting things out, and using manipulatives work wonderfully. But they may have more trouble retaining lessons from just books or lectures.

Artistic learners

These learners are the world’s visual storytellers. They absorb information through sights, colors, and even spatial layouts. Textbooks and lectures leave them cold, but give them a chance to paint a historical event, compose a scientific song, or film a math concept, and their understanding soars.

So how can you determine which style (or combination of styles) fits your little one the best? 

There are two main methods:

Supporting Your Child’s Learning Through Observation 

Pay close attention to how your child naturally engages with the world around them. Do they frequently ask you to read books aloud and explain things verbally? Or do they seem to understand better when you show them pictures or diagrams? Maybe they pick up new skills blazingly fast when they can dive in and try it themselves physically.

Tailoring Education for Success

You can ask your child directly about how they feel they learn best too. “Do you like when we read stories together or when we act them out?” “Does having pictures in your books help you or do you prefer just listening to the story?” The answers can provide great insight into their preferred learning channels.

Once you’ve figured out if your child is more of a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or combination learner, you can adapt your approach accordingly. 

Focus on:

• Using lots of charts, graphics, and videos for the visual learner
• Engaging in discussions, storytelling, and audiobooks for the auditory learner
• Providing as many opportunities for hands-on exploration and movement for the kinesthetic learner

By supporting your child’s unique learning style through early childhood education, you help them learn better now and as they continue their educational journey! Visit GogoKids to find the best preschool to help them thrive!