Your child’s learning style: Part 2
Print
EmailHow does your child learn best? As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. Learn more about how to help kinesthetic learners discover their strengths and have successful learning experiences.
Does your preschooler love to take things apart, to participate in sports and to move, rather than sitting still and studying? Are they well-coordinated and agile? If you answered yes, your child is probably a kinesthetic learner.
According to University Illinois Extension, children who are kinesthetic learners learn best by using their bodies and their hands. They love to move and get physically involved in their learning. When talking about preschoolers, according to Piaget’s theories, the majority of preschool children are kinesthetic learners since many are still within the sensorimotor phase of development.
As your young child’s first and most important teacher, it is important that parent’s help their child embrace their kinesthetic learning style. Use it as a tool to for them to become a successful learner in their early years of school. As a kinesthetic learner, your child needs opportunities to manipulate and experiment with hands-on tools.
Michigan State University Extension recommends the following kinesthetic learning tools to help your young kinesthetic learner learn basic skills, such as counting and writing:
- Hula hoops
- Large yoyos
- Large colored markers
- Frisbees
- Play dough
- Sand
- Puzzles
- Stickers
Remember that kinesthetic learners are not fidgety and antsy, but rather learn by doing. The goal for you as parents is to try to maximize your child’s kinesthetic learning strength. Remember your child needs your helping hand to lead them in learning, as well as opportunities to move their bodies within their environment.
Learn more about children’s learning styles in Part 1 of this series.
