Learning Styles

While there are some who would suggest that "Learning Styles" don't actually exist, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that they not only exist but they have a tremendous influence over how a person learns. For children this is especially important.

Tragically, perfectly normal children who have a kinesthetic learning style (simply put - they learn by doing), plus many other children, have a great deal of difficulty sitting still at a desk for very long at all. For many, it is their nature to want to actively experience something that will better help them understand the world around them or, they just need to keep moving. This of course is not generally permitted in a public school setting and literally millions of those children are now being forced to take prescription drugs to "help them better adjust to their environment". Homeschooling would clearly be a better choice than drugs in a great many, if not all, of those cases.

Public schools have no interest in learning styles because, with the size of their typical classes, it would be virtually impossible for teachers to tailor lesson plans to accommodate each child's different style. Homeschools can however perfectly tailor a child's learning experience to each child's needs.

The research in this area is extensive and the optimum scenario would be to discover all aspects of what is best for your child. For example, some children learn much better in one environment over another. Aside from determining if your child is a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner for starters, there are other questions that should be answered as well.

Do they prefer to study in bright light, natural light or dim light?

Should the learning take place inside or outside?

Should there be music playing in the background or should it be quiet?

Should there be access to healthy snacks while studying?

Does the temperature make a difference?

Does your child work best at a table, or desk, or do they like spreading out on the floor, a couch, or bed, or maybe even standing or walking?

What are your child's interests or goals at this moment? (Why would you want to try to help them learn anything that they are not interested in - it just wastes your time and theirs- don't worry if they don't want to read or do math when "society" says they should - when they are ready they will learn it quickly and painlessly for both of you).

Does your child prefer to be left alone to explore things for themselves or do they thrive in one-on-one or small group settings?

Do they prefer to look at the big picture first and then break it down to the details or do they prefer it the other way around?

Do they motivate themselves or are they motivated by peers or authority figures? (Clearly it is best to promote self motivation whenever possible but some children are not wired that way, at least not at the start).

It is the combination of all of these factors that determines how a child learns. A parent who understands all of this and caters to it is one who will have a very bright and happy child. Learning does not have to be what a child does before they have fun. Done properly children can't tell the difference because they learn constantly while having fun.

The first step however is to figure out what learning style best fits your children. The video shown below is one very general video on the subject to get you started but it would be well worth your time to search for other videos on Youtube or generally through browsers on both "learning styles" and "multiple intelligences".

For considerably more details about learning styles feel free to download the free e-book "Terra Scholar -A Complete Handbook for Today's Homeschooler" , as shown on the Home page of this website and review the chapter on Learning Styles.