How do you know your child's learning style?

EcoBaby · March 2010

I realize my child is too young now, but how do you determine the best way for your child to learn? How do you introduce him to the different methods in order to find this out? Is there a test or a place where they can go to determine the best learning style?

I don't even think I know my own best learning style!

ac_in_dc · March 2010

I used to be a HS teacher, so I've read a lot of stuff about this. Never applied it to really young kids though.

Almost everyone is a combination of visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning but with some people a specific style dominates. Wikipedia's entry on learning styles is an interesting place to start thinking about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_styles. Or I bet you could take a test like this https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html and make educated guesses for your LO (although they may not be old enough).

Another one of my favorite teaching theories had to do with multiple intelligences--it's good to think of these things b/c talents are much more multidimensional than folks may initially think: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences.

Like I said, though, I don't have a specific background in early childhood education. I think it would be good to read up on different pre-school philosophies, though; I bet you'd be able to figure out based on intuition alone which one seems to fit your child the best.

ncbelle · March 2010

I would think you could figure out a lot just by observation as he gets older and starts to learn more "formally." When I was teaching, I could figure out a lot about what worked/didn't work for students just by spending a little one on one time with them. I'm guessing it will be even easier to figure out with my own kid since I'll have so much one on one time ;-)

I would agree with the pp that most folks probably respond best to a combination.

Sally J · March 2010

I can make a guess based on my observations of how my children tend to learn new things. Cooper seems to be more visual and kinesthetic. He can see something done, try it once, and know exactly how to do things from that point on. He will apply what he's learned in one situation to another situation if they are physically similar (i.e. jumping on a bed and jumping on a trampoline, climbing stairs and climbing a ladder). Audio doesn't seem to work for him...he loses interest if you try to explain things to him. Interestingly enough, both my husband and I are visual and kinesthetic learners.

Charlotte seems to lean more toward audio and visual learning styles. She waits to let us explain something to her and follows directions very, very well. She also seems to watch how we do things or learning through books and tv shows (i.e. sign language from Blues Clues). However if we just try to get her to do something with no explanation or demonstration, it doesn't seem to stick.

She also doesn't seem to 'learn from mistakes'. For example she'll climb on a chair and even if she's climbed down several times she seems to forget how to physically do it. We have to remind her verbally how to do it. The same with running, climbing, jumping. She also won't apply what she's learned in one physical activity to another physical activity like Cooper.

From what I remember about Charlotte's birth mother as a child, she was a strong visual learner. I wonder if there is some biological component to learning styles?