children-learning-styles

There are many different children-learning-styles. Although there are similarities, each child is unique in their own style. In addition, children learn in a child’s way—-which is different from an adult's way of learning, so it is important to let them “have their head” about a lot of things.

Let them be creative, let them explore. Don’t totally “take over”. Let them have the freedom to discover and experiment in children-learning-styles, which are ways which might seem unusual to a grown-up.

Each child is different so it is a good idea to encourage your baby/toddler to have experiences and stimulation in a variety of different approaches to learning and with all the five senses--touch—sound—sight—taste—smell. Then you can tune into and respond to some of your child's individual propensities and your children-learning-styles.

Children usually want to use what you (the adult or other children) are using and sometimes go to great lengths to let you know that they want what you have. They can be quite demanding crawling on top of you if necessary, to type where you are typing, or hammer where you are hammering or stir where you are stirring! This too is children-learning-styles.

If it’s not possible, at the moment, to let them participate with you directly, supply your child with a similar project. This way you can get what you need to get done, done! If he wants to type, give him an old keyboard to type with while you type on yours. If he wants to stir and cook as you are, give him a pot with a dab of water and a spoon to mix and stir. And so on. This is an important way of chilred-learning-styles -- by watching you and practicing what you are doing.

Then there are the senses.

Give a child who learns by seeing, bright colorful pictures. Decorate their room or their particular space with objects they can observe. Take them on “field trips” where they can observe---the ocean, streams and lakes, the forest and woods, art museums, flower gardens, bird sanctuaries, planetariums, hands on museums and science centers, etc.

Sound based learning needs stimulations in the area of---Ta-da---sound. Let this child listen to music. Sing. Dance. Make music. Listen to voices. Make CD’s of their favorite stories and songs. Listen to waves roar at the ocean. Listen to trains and airplanes. Listen to frogs and other animal talk. Go to a farm and “talk” to the animals.

--still more children-learning-styles-- For a touch sensitive child, stimulate tactily. Make blocks of wood pieces and cover with various textiles. Make one with a fleecy soft material, one with sandpaper, one with a smooth satiny fabric. Touch this baby’s face and limbs. Hold this toddler’s hand. Let her play in the dirt, walk barefoot, build sand castles.

Then there is the smell sensitive child. Can a child learn through his nose? Yes.

He can learn to recognize and know things by their smell. Ordinarily blind and or deaf people have acute senses of smell because they rely on it to give them information in many ways. They can learn to recognize a particular person’s presence by their smell. Most people can identify what is for dinner by the smell. A person with a sensitive nose might save the day by smelling smoke before a fire reaches a dangerous level. There are many ways a sense of smell is instructive. Develop it by calling attention and awareness to a variety of smells. Play guess the smell games. Go for a “smelling” walk.

Since smelling is associated with breathing, you can engage your child in some meditative types of breathing and relaxation. Your child will then have an advantage throughout her life by being tuned in to how to keep stress at a reasonable level.

So what have we got left? Taste. I imagine the world’s great chef’s have marvelous senses of taste. Yum- yum. Chemists, Herbalists, wine tasters also rely on highly developed senses of taste.

Your little one can help in the kitchen sometimes being the “taster”. You can have him taste ingredients at various stages of mixtures--and of course the final dishes. And every kitchen needs a mix-master-beater-licker-offer (translated, lick off the beaters of the mix-master). (probably not a good idea if you have added raw eggs though).

A taste sensitive child will be the one who wants to eat dirt or taste mud pies or lick rocks at the beach, so you’ll have to keep a close eye on a taster child, or give her plenty of safe tasting opportunities.

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