Knowing how children learn can make home schooling so much easier

Schools have been doing some great work over the last is it 8 weeks sending things via email or online portals for parents to do . Many of what I have seen have been worksheets . I guess these are easily accessible and they can be send to a mass amount of children. Is the the way all children learn though ?

I have seen via social media parents finding it hard to get their children to do these sheets sent from school . Mainly because they find them boring . Which results in everyone getting frustrated with each other and doesn’t make for a very nice learning atmosphere.

Some children though will love doing all the worksheets . I was one of those children and still now as an adult that love to sit there and write pages upon pages .

The most important thing I think when it comes to home schooling is to get to know your child. How best do they learn? Below are just a few ways that children learn . Getting to know how your child learns best. Will make for a more relaxed and fun learning environment.

Different ways children learn

Visual learner

A visual learning needs to be able to see things written down in front of them for them to understand and take things in. So it’s no good explaining something to them without any visual clues for them to follow.

It is suggested that visual learners also like things like

• Arts and drawing
• Machines and inventions and looking at how things work
• Construction toys
• Jigsaw puzzles

A visual learning would benefit the most from using the following teaching techniques.

• Board games and memory games
• Using visual clues when explaining any topics to them
• Picture books
• Using different colours when writing so they can see all the different parts of their work. Especially good if trying to write a short story . Use a different colour for the start middle and end.

Kinaesthetic learner

A kinaesthetic learner learns best by doing. So they are highly active. They may communicate using their hands a lot. They would rather show you something then use words to explain what they are talking about. They are very active so may like sports and physical exercise.

To enable a kinaesthetic learning to learn in ways they enjoy look at doing the following

• Movement . Activities that allow them to move around and not be sat down at a table.
• Use hands on activities such as art projects or nature walks.

Avoid where possible worksheets or long range planning activities which requires their attention for a long amount of time.

Auditory learner

These types of learners are generally talkers will tell you about all the things they are leaning. Will like to listen to stories and spoken word . They will more than likely be good at reading and their times tables. Has a really good memory for names, dates and trivia . This one is Ava for sure she can tell me about things that happened years ago and who was there and what we did.

These types of learners will enjoy activists like

• Creating their own word problems
• Reading aloud stories or facts . Maybe record them so they can listen back to them later.
• Listening to cd books
• Musical activities.

Logical learner

I would say I’m this type of learner the most . As logical learners like routine and consistency. Does things in a particular order. So when you plan your homeschool day it would be Beneficial for this type of learner to have the same routine each day. They enjoy puzzles and seeing how things work. Constantly questioning and wondering why.

Activities that may engage a logical learner may be thing like

• Science experiments where they have to plan and implement something . Then record their findings.
• Use technology for things like puzzles or word games.
• Baking where there is a logical process to the making of the end product.

Your child may be a little bit of all styles of learning . They may prefer to learn a certain subject in a certain way . That’s fine the best thing to do is do things the way they find the easiest.

School won’t mind if you don’t do the work sheet they have provided . If you found a different way to teach the subject they are wanting your child to learn about that’s fine . Take pictures . If you need to evidence to school they have been learning a picture will tell a thousand words don’t worry.

If your still doing homeschooling after 8 weeks well done to you . You are doing an amazing job !

Have you found your children learn best in a certain way ? If so have you adapted your homeschooling to suit them?