The 4 Main Ways Children Learn

• Visual, Auditory, Read and Write, and Tactile learning are the 4 main learning styles.

• While many children are a combination of more than one style, most have a predominate one with which they learn and retain information the best.

• Homeschooling provides the unique opportunity to cater directly to your child’s learning style which will lead to improved learning and retention, better grades, and less stress.

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4 Main Learning Styles

There are 4 main learning styles; visual, auditory, read and write, and tactile. While many people are a combination of more than one style, most have a predominate one. Figuring out what works best for your child or children will take time and observation on your part. Try presenting lessons in different ways, for example use math manipulatives one day, math examples on the board the next day, followed by a textbook or written math lesson. Although it may take several weeks or months to figure out exactly what works best for your children, once you do, your little learner will be more engaged in lessons, do better academically, and just be generally happier with their school day.

Depending on your child’s learning style, you may want to reconsider whether or not your chosen curriculum and homeschooling method is appropriate. Both the method that you use and the curriculum itself has a huge impact on how you teach. If your child’s learning style differs from what you are currently using you may want to revise your method or change the curriculum that you chose.

Visual Learners

Visual learners do their best when given the opportunity to learn with visual aids. This could be anything visual, from maps and graphs to digital visual aids and word walls. They learn best when they can physically see the ideas and concepts that they are trying to learn. This learning style will benefit more from things that are shown with concise examples including board work or videos. Visual learners study better when taking notes and color-coding ideas. Creating concept maps of lessons and using flowcharts also helps them remember and retain information and study for exams. They may struggle with understanding and following verbal lectures and may not do as well with verbal discussions that they have not prepared for by writing down notes.

Strategies for Teaching Visual Learners

Overall teaching strategies:

• Have a written or printed schedule readily available, preferably color coded
• Incorporate visual aids into every lesson
• Utilize virtual visual tools to add variety
• Provide ample time for the student to take notes either on paper or digitally
• Use videos to reinforce concepts
• Observe which tools work best and incorporate more of those when possible

ELA:

• Use flashcards and/or word walls for vocabulary and spelling
• Integrate diagrams, such as Venn diagrams, story boards, and concept maps for story comprehension
• Encourage and allow time for note taking, written or digital
• Allow them to use posters, slideshows, or other visual aids for presentations
• Utilize videos for instruction and/or reinforcement

MATH:

• Use flashcards for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division review
• Incorporate graphs where possible
• Utilize videos for instruction and/or reinforcement
• Use a whiteboard for showing examples
• Encourage and allow time for note taking, written or digital

SCIENCE:

• Incorporate graphs and flowcharts where possible
• Use flashcards for vocabulary
• Utilize videos for instruction and/or reinforcement
• Integrate digital visual aids
• Encourage and allow time for note taking, written or digital
• Use physical examples and hands-on experiments
• Allow them to use posters, slideshows, or other visual aids for presentations

SOCIAL STUDIES:

• Integrate maps, and graphs wherever possible
• Make timelines, flowcharts, and concept maps to help in lesson comprehension
• Use flashcards for vocabulary
• Utilize digital visual aids
• Use videos for instruction and/or reinforcement
• Encourage and allow time for note taking, written or digital
• Allow them to use posters, slideshows, or other visual aids for presentations

Helpful Tools for Visual Learners

• Schedulers
• Color-coding tools
• Journals
• Tutorial or explanatory videos
• Slideshow presentations
• Create visual study aids such as mind mapping and concept maps
• Add pictures/graphs/arrows to notes

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners are great listeners and do their best when things are presented in speech form such as lectures or group discussions. They will often speak aloud their thoughts or ideas when working alone. These learners benefit from repeating questions and answers, listening to recordings of lessons, or working with others in a group with which they can bounce off ideas. Creating lessons to include music and songs will also give variety and help them memorize ideas. They may struggle if given only written notes or instructions.

Strategies for Teaching Auditory Learners

Overall teaching strategies:

• Repeat and review lessons
• Add in music and songs
• Use audiobooks or read stories aloud together
• Openly discuss topics
• Utilize mnemonics and acronyms
• Allow them to present oral presentations and essays and take oral exams
• Integrate videos into lessons
• Encourage them to ask and answer questions
• Incorporate group activities so that they have others to bounce ideas off of

ELA:

• Read stories aloud, either together or by themselves or use audio books
• Have open discussions of stories/novels
• Allow them to present oral presentations and essays and take oral exams
• White-noise background music for quiet times
• Utilize podcasts and videos of stories or lessons
• Use or create songs, mnemonics, and acronyms to reinforce ideas
• Encourage group activities

MATH:

• Utilize podcasts and videos of lessons
• Practice repetitive lessons
• Use or create songs, mnemonics, and acronyms to reinforce ideas
• Encourage discussions of topics for reinforced understanding
• Group activities

SCIENCE:

• Practice repetitive lessons
• Encourage discussions of topics for reinforced understanding
• Use or create songs, mnemonics, and acronyms to reinforce ideas
• Utilize podcasts and videos of lessons
• Incorporate group activities
• Allow them to present oral presentations and essays and take oral exams

SOCIAL STUDIES:

• Read stories and articles aloud, either together or by themselves or use audio books
• Allow them to present oral presentations and essays and take oral exams
• Practice repetitive lessons
• Use or create songs, mnemonics, and acronyms to reinforce ideas
• Have open discussions of topics for better understanding
• Incorporate group activities

Helpful Tools for Auditory Learners

• Listen to or write your own song lyrics to help memorize material
• Record lectures and lessons
• Take auditory notes
• Repeat written notes out loud when studying
• Listen to podcast of lessons or audiobooks
• Background white-noise

Read and Write Learners

Read and Write learners learn best when reading directly from a book, a notebook, or any other kind of written word. They tend to do well on written assignments and generally just like to read. These learners will benefit most from rewriting information in note form or by rereading their lesson’s written information. They may struggle with understanding and following verbal lectures and may not do as well with verbal discussions.

Strategies for Teaching Read and Write Learners

Overall teaching strategies:

• Provide ample time for the student to take notes either on paper or digitally
• Have the student rewrite information heard or seen
• Organize visual representations into words
• Utilize videos with closed captions
• Use written instructions
• Encourage reading
• Create writing assignments, flowcharts, and concept maps
• Have assignments in a list format

ELA:

• Provide ample time for the student to take notes either on paper or digitally
• Read stories, either together or by themselves
• Utilize repetitive writing especially for vocabulary and spelling
• Create assignments with written instructions
• Incorporate writing assignments
• Use concept maps and mind mapping

MATH:

• Organize visual representations into words
• Utilize videos with closed captions
• Create assignments with written instructions
• Allow time for the student to take notes either on paper or digitally

SCIENCE:

• Encourage the student to take notes either on paper or digitally
• Utilize repetitive writing especially for vocabulary
• Create assignments with written instructions
• Incorporate writing assignments
• Organize visual representations into words
• Use videos with closed captions
• Encourage making concept maps and flowcharts

SOCIAL STUDIES:

• Utilize repetitive writing especially for vocabulary
• Allow time for the student to take notes either on paper or digitally
• Create assignments with written instructions
• Encourage making concept maps and timelines
• Incorporate writing assignments
• Use videos with closed captions

Helpful Tools for Read and Write Learners

• Journals for notetaking
• Highlighting tools
• Add annotations to notes
• Use lists, such as to-do lists, to help stay on schedule
• Create mind maps and concept maps to reinforce ideas
• Reread and rewrite notes to help memorize information

Tactile, or Kinesthetic, Learners

Tactile, or Kinesthetic, learners excel with hands-on activities. They prefer to learn by doing. They generally dislike sitting and reading or writing and will become more engaged once the activity turns to something hands on. Many of these types of students have trouble sitting still, as they get easily bored, and may benefit from some sort of fidget activity to help them focus. They learn best through personal experience and simulations. These learners will benefit more from science experiments, working with math manipulatives, and dressing up or building settings for ELA and Social Studies. They may struggle to pay attention and learn from lectures and videos as they need a more interactive environment.

Strategies for Teaching Tactile Learners

Overall teaching strategies:

• Allow time for regular breaks
• Encourage them to “teach” you or others what they have learned
• Use games, puzzles, manipulative learning tools, hands-on experiments, interactive displays and/or props in each lesson
• Utilize roleplaying and demonstrations
• Incorporate real-life examples
• Use animated teaching such as songs, dancing, and motions
• Encourage digital note taking
• Offer options such as making a video or designing a digital presentation
• Let them create their own flashcards
• Incorporate play-based learning
• Allow them to create dioramas or shadow boxes
• Offer them fidget objects to help them focus or allow them to walk around while listening to a verbal lesson

ELA:

• Use objects such as interactive displays, games, puzzles, props, dioramas or shadow boxes to explain lessons
• Encourage them to “teach” you or others what they have learned
• Incorporate real-life examples
• Use animated teaching such as songs, dancing, and motions
• Have them take notes digitally
• Give options such as making a video or designing a digital presentation
• Allow them to create their own flashcards for vocabulary and spelling
• Allow time for frequent breaks during reading times

MATH:

• Use games, puzzles, and/or manipulatives in each lesson
• Incorporate real-life examples
• Encourage them to “teach” you or others what they have learned
• Use animated teaching such as songs, dancing, and motions
• Have them take notes digitally
• Allow them to create their own flashcards for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division review
• Optimize play-based learning such as dominos or blocks

SCIENCE:

• Use games, puzzles, demonstrations, hands-on experiments, physical objects and/or interactive displays in each lesson
• Encourage them to “teach” you or others what they have learned
• Incorporate real-life examples
• Use animated teaching such as songs, dancing, and motions
• Have them take notes digitally

SOCIAL STUDIES:

• Allow time for frequent breaks during reading times
• Use games, puzzles, demonstrations, roleplays, physical objects, props, dioramas, shadow boxes, and/or interactive displays in each lesson
• Encourage them to “teach” you or others what they have learned
• Use animated teaching such as songs, dancing, and motions
• Have them take notes digitally
• Offer options such as making a video or designing a digital presentation
• Incorporate real-life examples

Helpful Tools for Tactile Learners

• Fidget objects
• Walking or pacing while listening to a verbal lesson or reviewing notes
• Digital note-taking tools (typing is helpful)
• Using physical objects to understand concepts

Homeschooling provides the unique opportunity to cater directly to your child’s learning style. This will utimately lead to improved learning and retention, better grades, and less stress in the classroom. That being said, it may take some trial and error to figure out what style(s) work best. Patience is important while testing different learning styles and remember, don’t stress if nothing seems to be progressing in your observations. Each child is different and may learn in many different ways. If your child seems to do well with all styles, congradulations. You can either then pick a style that you prefer to teach in or mix it up by teaching a little of all the styles.

If you teach more than one student at a time, especially if you teach a group of children whom may have all different learning styles, it is important to incorporate a little of each style into each lesson. This can easily be done by giving both written and verbal instructions, adding in a visual aid, and having some physical representation or activity. However you decide to incorporate different learning styles into your children’s schooling is entirely up to you. Just remember to stress less and have fun as it is all just a part of the homeschooling journey.

Have a tip or trick for a specific learning style? Leave a comment below to share with the community.