Children are visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners and there are ways to figure out which child falls into which learning category, a Midland-based education advocacy group said in a blog post last month.
"Children receive and process information differently than one another," Educate Midland, a nonprofit group that advocates for education in Midland, said in a Dec. 14 blog post. "Experts have identified three learning behaviors that nearly all children fall into: visual, auditory and kinesthetic."
Many children "use a combination of each" but one of the three categories could reveal the place with "a particular style that allows your child to thrive," the blog post said.
"Understanding your child’s learning style is a large part of helping them perform to their fullest potential," the blog post continued. "To better assist your child’s engagement, below is a guide to identify and encourage their primary learning style."
Visual learners are those children who are "observant of the world around them and are drawn to art," the blog post said.
A child who seems to fall into this category should be provided with box, will respond favorably to color-coded graphs and charts, appreciate flash cards to memorize vocabulary words or math and should be encouraged to read to improve spelling, vocabulary and comprehension, according to the blog post.
Visual learners also respond well to pictures and audio-video mediums, according to the blog post.
"Watching visuals on a screen makes it easier for them to learn and retain any information presented. These kinds of learners also have great memories," the blog post said. "If your child is a visual learner, they may be also be exceptionally skilled at remembering people, names and places."
Auditory learners are those children who learn best based on what they hear.
"Such learners are good listeners and have strong verbal skills," the blog post said. "They also enjoy listening to rhymes, recorded stories and often show an aptitude for music."
Auditory learners, among other things, should be provided with rhymes, songs and stories, encouraged to spell words loud instead of writing them down, and be provided with learning environments that have little background noise, according to the blog post.
"Auditory learners tend to better understand instructions and directions when spoken to them rather than in a written format," the blog post said. "They also have a sharp ear and tend to remember difficult dialogues, and can repeat words or phrases they’ve recently heard, which might be difficult for other children their age."
Kinesthetic learners need to physically experience information to understand it, according to the blog post.
"They have a strong sense of stability and tend to be naturally curious learners," the blog post said. "They learn by touching and feeling, using their fingers to count, make gestures to understand answers, and clap to learn songs."
Kinesthetic learners will do best with pop-up and texture books, benefit from frequent study breaks so they're not sitting and doing the same thing for too long, should stand at their desk rather than sit and respond well when study is presented as a fun activity or game, according to the blog post.
"These learners often have strong hand-eye coordination and are naturally superb at physical activities such as sports and dancing," the blog post said. "On the other hand, these learners may not be able to sit in one place and become fidgety if they have to."
Figuring out a child's learning stays helps the child and their parent, according to the blog post.
"Having this knowledge will help you tailor your child’s learning process and build on their innate strengths in the future," the blog post said. "Most importantly, though, knowing how your child learns will foster confidence and encourage a lifelong love of learning in your child."