I think the educational world is finally realizing there are many different ways to teach a child because children learn in different ways. I have experienced this with my own children. They are both visual learners, they need to SEE to be able to hear, but I do question now if they are indeed more likely to be Kinaesthetic learners.
I always thought my brother was also a visual learner as he struggled through schooling, but recently when I came across the term – Kinaesthetic I realised he is more tilted towards this learning. It describes his learning ability to the tee, even as an adult I can identify this in him.
What is Kinaesthetic you ask? Kinaesthetic learning or tactile learning as it is also referred to is a learning style in which education takes place by the students carrying out physical activities, rather than listening to the teacher.
Simplified, Kinaesthetic learning is when a child learns by doing, hands-on, get in there and give it a go learning.
Kinaesthetic learners need to, not only visually see the task, but be physically active in the learning process in order to achieve their best educational outcome.
Hands-on learning really only takes place in early childhood in the playground or in high school lessons such as Art and Science. Both my children have excelled in music, which again is hands-on learning where you physically do something. These are all hands-on subjects where learning goes beyond the page and the child is physically involved in the process.
So how do you know if your child is a Kinaesthetic learner or not? Check out this detailed article to find out your child’s learning language.
But why is it important to know how your child learns?
The more we understand about our child’s learning abilities, the sooner we will be able to accommodate those needs and advocate for them in the classroom.
A misconception I come across often is that if a child is getting A’s then everything is going great and no need to help them. How do we know they are doing the best they can do? It is about getting the most out of them, not the most out of their marks. My children both disengage in class as they are not your typical sit at a desk kinda children. Sure they get good grades but they are not enjoying learning. To clarify, they do not enjoy learning the conventional way. They are always ready to learn, but they do not always like being taught.
So, you just realized your child is not learning the “typical classroom way”. What can you do about it?
- Advocate for your child, talk to the teacher and let them know you think your child would benefit from a different learning style.
- Take a Kinaesthetic approach to education that happens at home. Get your child moving, learning with the process and visual, physical activity.
- Seek qualified help in the form of Kinaesthetic learning Tutors who can help your child with classroom work and homework. They even have programs that come out to schools and assist.
Here are some ideas on how to get started with Kinaesthetic learning at home or in your classroom.
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