How to Teach a Child Who Learns Differently

There are seven different learning styles.
• Visual learners [Right brain]
• Auditory/aural learners [Left brain]
• Reading/writing (verbal) learners [Left brain]
• Kinesthetic/tactile learners [Right brain]
• Social/interpersonal learners [Right brain]
• Solitary/intrapersonal learners [Right brain]
• Logical/analytical learners [Left brain]

We can also divide learning into right brain/left brain styles of learning.

Most curricula rely heavily on the reading/writing learning styles or left brain learning styles.

Although we do not only use one side of our brain for learning, we do tend to learn in a preferred learning style. With my own children, once I began using their specific learning styles (can be a blend of two), school went much easier. This was especially important with my child who had challenges.

Visual learners – pictures, diagrams, maps, colors, and spatial relationships. They learn best by seeing demonstrations.

Auditory learners – listening, spoken explanations, and verbal processing. They learn best with discussions, storytelling, lectures, and songs.

Reading/writing learners– language, written information, reading and note-taking. They learn best through books, notes, lists, and written reflections.

Kinesthetic learners – movement, hands-on experiences, and learning by doing. They learn best by experiments, building, role-play, and practical tasks.

Social/interpersonal learners – collaboration, group activities, and learning through interaction. They learn best through group projects, peer teaching, and discussion.

Solitary/intrapersonal learners – Independent study, self-reflection, and personal goal-setting. They learn best through journaling, independent projects, and quiet reflection.

Logical/analytical learners – reasoning, patterns, numbers, problem-solving, and organization. They learn best through puzzles, classification, patterns, and cause-and-effect problems.

Once I learned about the different learning styles, I assessed each of my children to determine what the best way to teach them would be. Since they ended up having different learning styles, what I found worked best was to include different types of activities with each lesson/unit.

This took a bit more creativity in the beginning, but the payoff was worth it. They retained the information better. Plus, if I implemented their personal interests, things became much easier.

I still prefer using unit studies based on the child’s personal interests. I think project-based learning is the best method overall for a child who has developed enough skills to work independently.

With the internet, it doesn’t take much time to create lesson plans that implement the different learning styles.

One thing I discovered about myself was that I started off teaching using my own personal learning style. Then I learned that that stye was not best for my children. So I adapted.

It took a bit of effort, but now it is automatic to think of different ways to teach the same information, utilizing the different learning styles.

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