The different ways kids learn

Learning styles
Imagine your child making popcorn in a microwave for the first time. Would he: a) read the directions on the package? b) holler "How long do I zap it for?" at you? c) toss the packet into the microwave, hit a few buttons, and then watch to see what happened? Your answer will give you a clue to your child's learning style.

Most kids follow a favoured path when processing new information. This path becomes more apparent in the early years of school; by grade two or three, parents and teachers can often detect which children are visual learners, who learn by observing and seeing; which are auditory learners, who learn most easily by listening; and which are kinesthetic learners, who soak up knowledge through hands-on experience.

Most children, though, don't show a complete preference for one learning style over the others. Many draw on two of the three different styles, and those students who excel in school usually show facility with all three styles. You may have already identified your child's preferred way of learning, whether or not you use one of these labels. If so, you can probably help her both to take advantage of her strongest style of learning and to work on improving her ability to use the other styles. There are hot debates among psychologists over classification issues, and expert opinion do vary, but the labels and descriptions that follow offer a starting point for parents interested in exploring the topic further.

Learning styles chart
Visual learners:
•learn by seeing; for example, by watching others, by reading.
•have a preference for the "look-say" approach to learning to read.
•have creative imaginations; daydream, draw detailed and/or colourful pictures.
•remember faces better than names.
•have good handwriting.
•tend to check out a new situation carefully before joining in.
•prefer art to music.
•often see a detail first rather than the whole.
•are often meticulous about their work.
Visual learners represent about 65 per cent of the population.

Auditory learners:
•learn most easily by listening to explanations.
•have a preference for phonics instruction as part of learning to read.
•love to chatter and socialize.
•often talk to themselves while working.
•have strong vocabularies.
•are easily distracted by noise.
•may have a strange sense of fashion, mixing unmatchable colours and patterns.
•prefer music to art.
Auditory learners make up about 15 per cent of the population.

Kinesthetic or tactile learners:
•learn best through direct involvement in the action: modeling, building, producing.
•are adept at taking things apart and putting them back together.
•excel at some sports.
•are good dancers.
•fidget and touch things constantly.
•touch you to get your attention.
•respond well to touch.
•are poor spellers.
•have poor handwriting.
•have difficulty with verbal or written direction.
•read with difficulty and often don't enjoy being read to.
This group comprises about 10 per cent of the population.
Note that about 10 per cent of learners use two or three styles of.