A Parent's Guide to Knowing How Your Child Learns

 A Parent's Guide to Knowing How Your Child Learns

Not only are all kids different in personality, but they also learn, think, and remember things in different ways. Knowing how your child learns may change the way you help them with school, make things less frustrating, and help them reach their full potential.

What Are Different Ways of Learning?

Learning styles are the many methods that people like to use to learn and understand new things. Every kid can learn in a number of ways, but most of them choose to stick with one or two main patterns. 

The most popular ways to learn are:

Visual (Spatial): Learns better when there are pictures, diagrams, and other visual aids.

Auditory (Aural): Likes to hear music, explanations, or conversations.

Kinesthetic (Physical): Learns best by doing things with their hands and moving about.

Read/Write: Learns well by reading and writing.

By knowing how your child learns best, you can make their school experience much better by adapting your teaching and support approaches to fit their natural inclinations.

This is how this knowledge helps.

Better understanding and remembering: Your kid is more likely to grasp and remember knowledge when it is delivered in a method that fits their preferred mode of learning, such as through pictures, sounds, movement, or writing.

More Engagement and Motivation: Lessons and activities that fit your child's learning style are more interesting, which makes learning fun instead of a job. This makes people pay more attention and take part in learning at home and in the classroom.

Better Academic Performance: Kids who learn in their preferred way frequently understand things quickly and do better in school because they can digest and use knowledge better.

Increased confidence: Learning something and doing well at it boosts self-esteem. When kids can consistently grasp and remember what they learn, their confidence rises, which makes them more likely to take on new tasks on their own.

Less Stress and Frustration: Changing how your child studies to meet their style may make learning less stressful and more enjoyable, which can help them get more done in less time.

Long-Term Studying Satisfaction: Kids who do well in school and like studying are more likely to love school and want to keep learning for the rest of their lives.

You can figure out your child's main learning style by watching how they learn best, whether it's through diagrams, discussions, hands-on activities, or reading and writing. You can then use this information to make their home and school learning environments more helpful and effective.

To keep both gifted and struggling kids interested at the same time, plan activities that include more than one way to get started, let students work at their own pace, and promote teamwork. 

Here are some good ways to do things and some particular activity ideas:

1. Assignments at levels

Make projects on the same subject that are at different levels of difficulty. For instance, although all students look into a science idea, students who are having trouble can utilise graphic organisers or guided questions, while talented students might do open-ended research or come up with their experiments.

Start with the ones that are the hardest first: Let all of the kids try the hardest issues first. Then, those who need help can work on scaffolded assignments, and those who do well can go on to enrichment activities.

2. Learning via Projects (PBL)

Start a project in the real world, like making a class newspaper or planning a community garden. those who are gifted can take on leadership or research-heavy responsibilities, while those who are having trouble can help by doing hands-on activities or by concentrating on specific abilities within the project.

PBL naturally works with people of all skill levels and encourages teamwork, creative thinking, and problem-solving.

3. Activities that don't have a clear end

Give students activities that have more than one right answer or way to do them, such as creative writing prompts, art projects, or math studies. Gifted students can work on their projects for longer or in more depth, while struggling kids get help and structure so they can work at their level.

4. Learning together and helping each other

Pair or group pupils in a smart way. Gifted kids can help their classmates by explaining things to them, which helps them comprehend better. Change roles such that each student learns from the others and helps them.

Make sure that each student has a meaningful part in group projects so that everyone stays interested, no matter their skill level.

5. Solving Problems in the Real World

Give students real-life problems to solve, such as how to cut down on school trash or arrange a class function. Let kids look into problems, come up with ideas, and share their answers. Gifted students can go further into analysis, while students who are having trouble can focus on specific parts of the problem or practical procedures.

6. Boards of Choice

Give them a list of things they can do about a certain subject. Students choose assignments that are appropriate for their level of preparation and interests. Some may choose simple comprehension exercises, while others may choose creative projects or sophisticated research.

7. Projects Based on Interests

Allow pupils to work on small projects that are connected to their interests as part of the curriculum. Those who are having trouble can focus on basic skills, while those who are gifted can learn about more complex topics or make presentations to share with the class.

Important Tips for Success: Use formative evaluations to see how ready your students are and change the exercises as needed.

Let pupils know that they could be working on different things and stress that this is to satisfy each person's learning requirements.

Encourage a classroom atmosphere that values hard work, progress, and working together.

These methods make sure that all students, no matter where they start, are challenged, supported, and involved in meaningful learning.

Why Learning Styles Are Important

Knowing how your child learns can assist you:

1. Make homework help and learning activities fit their strengths. 

2. Cut down on confusion and anger over learning. 

3. Give them more confidence and drive.

4. Help people embrace studying for the rest of their lives.

How to Find Out How Your Child Learns

Pay attention to how your child organically interacts with the world:

1. People who learn best by seeing things frequently like painting, doing puzzles, and watching demonstrations.

2. People who learn by hearing may like music, stories, or talking about their concerns.

3. Kinesthetic learners like to learn by doing, constructing, or playing a role.

4. Making lists, reading books, or creating stories are things that read/write learners like.

• Ask yourself: Does my child recall things better when they see, hear, do, or read them?

• What kinds of things get them excited?

• How do they explain things to me? By sketching, talking, acting, or writing?

Helping Each Learning Style at Home

How to Help at Home Visually:

Use flashcards, charts, colourful novels, and drawing exercises. Make mental maps for things you don't know about yet.

Hearing:

Read out loud together, sing songs or say rhymes, and get people talking. Listen to audiobooks or instructional podcasts.

Kinesthetic :

Use blocks, act out tales, or undertake science projects to make learning more fun. Let them learn by doing and touching.

Read and write:

Give them a lot of literature, urge them to keep a diary, and utilise written directions. Allow them to write down lists and summaries.

Accepting Different Styles

Most kids learn in a mix of ways, and these preferences might change as they become older. Reading a tale, acting it out, and painting a picture are all activities that may help kids learn and keep things interesting.

Last Thoughts

It's not about putting a label on your child; it's about giving them the ability to learn in their way. You can assist your child in figuring out how they learn best by watching, trying things out, and making changes. This will make school a fun and confidence-building experience for both of you.

Are you ready to help your child learn in their way? To begin, watch, try things out, and most importantly, have fun doing it together!