When it comes to absorbing information, everyone learns differently, and this is no more apparent than when we’re kids.
There are seven recognised learning styles – visual (spatial), aural (auditory/musical), verbal (linguistic), physical (kinesthetic), logical (mathematical), social (interpersonal) and solitary (intrapersonal). Understanding these styles can help us pinpoint learning strengths and difficulties in our children. Learn more at Learning Styles Online and discover your child’s personal learning style at What’s Your Learning Style?
Learning happens 24 hours a day and does not have to include a protractor and a times-table. Here are some strategies you can use at home, regardless of your child’s leaning style, to stretch those sponge-like brains even further. They’ll be sopping up smarts in no time flat.
- Kids learn by imitation – rather than telling them, show them how to do things.
- Lead by example. Read, write, explore, question, research, flick on that documentary.
- Encourage your kids to ask questions – if they don’t know something, it’s okay to ask.
- Older kids love to be challenged with research projects, which they can explore online. Encourage them to discover how something works or why it is so. Always let them choose the topic.
- Encourage your child to have interests outside school, from sport to hobbies.
- Link what kids learn at school to the real world. Learning chemistry may be boring, but showing kids how these skills transfer to the real world adds a whole new slant to learning.
- Keeping a schedule will help older kids develop strong organisational skills that are vital to effective learning. Have them write or monitor the schedule of their chores, their homework and extra-curricular activities.
- Become as involved as you can with your child’s school. Just keeping up-to-date with what they are learning is enough to ensure better grades.
- Repetition helps children learn – and they have a natural inclination for it. This might explain why they want the same bedtime story a hundred times!
- Encourage children to dream about what they’d like to be when they grow up.
