One key factor in choosing your child’s homeschool curriculum is to take into account their individual learning styles. There are many different ways in which a child picks up and retains information. Figuring out how your child learns best will help you a great deal in your homeschool journey. Does your child learn best when seeing information in writing? Do they retain information and instructions better when they hear the words spoken aloud? Does your child need to touch and feel and do before they understand what is going on? Not only will the answers to these questions help you choose a curriculum that fits your child’s needs, those answers can help you when it comes to teaching them.  

Three Main Learning Styles

Visual learners want to see it. 

• Visual learners learn best by reading and writing. 
• They like to read the information for themselves. 
• They like to write notes.
• They may copy and recopy the information they want or need to learn. 
• Color-coding can be helpful. Different colors for each subject – binders, folders, etc.
• Highlighting information in different colors may help them recall information better. Underline vocabulary words in one color and the definition in a different. Highlighting people, place, and dates in different colors can help learners “see” the information in an “order” that makes sense to them. 

Auditory learners want to hear it. 

• These children learn by listening. They remember by speaking things aloud. 
• They can be distracted by sound, but soft music may help them focus. 
• Putting memory work to a tune can help the auditory learner.
• They may find it helpful to study aloud – saying the facts aloud instead of just reading them.
• These children may prefer to study in a group, because they can bounce ideas and facts off of each other.  

Kinesthetic learners want to do it. 

• These kiddos need to move.
• They may work best with manipulatives and hands-on activities.
• Little ones may need to do something with their hands while listening to a read-aloud.
• They need more frequent breaks, because they need to move. Moving helps them focus.
• May enjoy working away from a desk. Let them pace the room as they recite math facts. Standing at the table/desk may help them be less fidgety. 

Have you discovered your child’s learning style? Has this helped you teach them the way they learn best?