Did you ever have a hard time sitting through a lecture? Then you can probably relate to your son who twiddles his thumbs during English class. Your daughter, on the other hand, sits there enthralled. Projects bore her. For years now, psychologists have been studying theories of learning styles and multiple intelligence, and it’s made all the difference in how kids learn, according to Jan W. Van Blarcum, Ph.D., president and executive director at the Einstein School in Plano.
“Every human being has their own unique ability to learn,” she says, pointing out the importance of working with students’ individual needs even when it comes to the child’s particular style of learning. “Some kids need info presented more logically and orderly; others need it presented more creatively,” she says. “One child in a class might get something, but [the student] next to him won’t because he needed the information presented hands on.”
Find something that hones in on your child’s learning style. It could make all the difference in helping them to develop a love of learning.
So what’s a concerned parent to do? Find out how your child processes information. Once you’ve done that, make a point of talking to your child’s teacher to ensure their individual needs are being addressed and when it comes to after-school activities, find something that hones in on your child’s learning style. It could make all the difference in helping them to develop a love of learning.
Several theories have been proposed to model the way that children learn. One of the most popular asserts that people fall into one of four learning categories, which include visual, auditory, kinesthetic and reading/writing. Which category of learning style do you think your child falls under?
Visual Learners
This may not be what you wanted to hear, but it may just be in your little one’s best interest to hand them a marker. Visual learners like to see colors and shapes and be stimulated well, visually. In fact, says Van Blarcum, some visual learners actually discover that they have a preference for one color over another; for example, if red is a color your child favors, then highlighting a word in that shade will draw the word off the page for them and into their memory.
For visual learners at school:
For this learning style, encourage your child’s teacher to help your son or daughter make notes into a visual chart.
Help your child color-code his or her subject notes.
For visual learners outside the classroom:
Check out the stunning exhibit halls at the Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas or see a variety of exciting and educational 3-D films at the cutting-edge 4K Hoglund Foundation Theater.
The Irving Arts Center offers a variety of visually stunning and educational exhibits and programs for kids such as their Saturday School classes.
At The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth you can see where billions of dollars are printed from an enclosed walkway suspended above the production floor. The self-guided tour also includes interactive exhibits and displays that showcase currency history and the art of manufacturing.
Auditory Learners
Does your child listen attentively—and respond accurately? There’s a good chance they’re an auditory learner. Some auditory learners can hear an instruction and respond immediately. Others may take notes, according to Van Blarcum, but they will probably never look at them again (so much for late nights of studying!). Someone who learns this way will probably do very well on verbally administered spelling tests, for example.
For auditory learners at school:
For this learning style, talk to your child’s teacher about allowing your son or daughter to sit up close during story time or lessons, because according to Dr. Matthew Housson, a Dallas-area psychologist in private practice, this helps the child become more engaged in the story.
During reading time, encourage your child to read out loud rather than silently—hearing himself allows him to process info more effectively.
For auditory learners beyond the classroom:
Pop into the weekly story time at Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, held every Saturday at 11:30am. It’s followed by a craft in their cozy playroom.
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For older kids, check out the Fort Worth Public Library system’s Books Out Loud program, a read aloud program geared to middle schoolers. (Look for events at various library branches.)
Enjoy a live science show and listen as a staff member talks through experiments and their results at Sci-Tech Discovery Center in Frisco.
Kinesthetic Learners
If you have a child that won’t sit still, chances are they’re a kinesthetic learner. Often, this kind of learner needs to use their body to make information stick. Instead of sitting at a desk to study, for example, the child may do better sitting in a beanbag chair or rolling on an exercise ball while reading.
For kinesthetic learners at school:
If your child loves to be in motion, find out if his teacher will let him run small errands throughout the day, like taking notes to the office, for example.
Making alphabet- and number-learning hands-on by encouraging kids to draw on sandpaper or with colored foam.
For kinesthetic learners beyond the classroom:
KidZania in Frisco is all about pretend play. Here, kids learn by doing; role playing over 100 different professions and earn kidZos, play money they can spend, save or donate.
The Dallas Museum of Art offers a variety of hands-on, educational activities that will get kiddies’ noggins ticking including Open Studio on the first and third Saturdays and Sundays of the month.
The Native Texas Boardwalk at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a living classroom where children can learn about native and nonnative species—all while moving through 13 stations including balance beams and a hollow log for climbing.
Reading & Writing Learners
If your child falls into this category, you’ll know. Maybe she writes down all her favorite foods or even has a list of toys she likes to play with. This learner displays a preference for information displayed as words, whether that comes from online, quotations or books. Not surprisingly, many academics have a preference for this style, so you may have a future college professor on your hands.
For reading/writing learners at school:
For this learning style, make sure your child’s teacher allows your son or daughter ample time to rewrite notes and turn visual charts and graphs into written notes and words.
If she already has a preferred way of studying, say through creating outlines or summarizing information through bulleted lists, encourage the teacher to occasionally provide info in this format if possible.
For reading/writing learners beyond the classroom:
Get your little one’s creative juices flowing by encouraging him to jot down thoughts, write short stories or even poems. Express Yourself, the Dallas Public Library’s Youth Poetry Contest, is accepting entries from kiddos in grades 2 through 12 until January 31, 2025.
Pick up one of the themed Family Guides at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and enjoy a day of artwork. Your child can read through the guide while browsing works and write about what they see.
Library in a Park in Cedar Hill is a new state-of-the-art library built inside Signature Park where you can check out some books, walk the trails in the park and spend the afternoon reading under the shade of a tree.
RELATED: Our Favorite Kid-Friendly Museums in Dallas-Fort Worth
While learning is not cut and dried, neither is teaching. According to Van Blarcum, a classroom can be an enriching environment—if it’s managed well. Do your part and help your kids discover what works for them … even if it means cleaning up a colored-foam mess.
Top image: iStock
