Learning Styles and Teaching the ABCs: Work With Your Child’s Strengths

What are you kid’s dominant studying types? In observing your baby, does he want to color, dance to music, assemble with LEGOs, study animals, or play exterior? What actions seize her consideration and hold her curiosity? Select actions aligning along with your kid’s favourite methods to play and study. As a preschool aged baby, Cole spent a lot of his time within the sandbox along with his tractors. Drawing letters within the sand with a stick for a pencil and arranging rocks within the form of letters captured his curiosity. Deal with subjects your baby is drawn to. All of us love studying about subjects we’re fascinated about. Three yr outdated Addy, is nuts about tigers. Alphabet actions for letter “Tt” targeted on tigers. We examine tigers and went to the Zoo to see tigers. Her pleasure about tigers sped her studying in regards to the letter “Tt.”

Howard Gardner, a Harvard professor, launched a idea about studying types. Gardner suggests eight studying types. Every of us makes use of a combination of the educational types. Studying the dominant types of our youngsters will help us tailor our method and make studying more practical. To assist decide our kid’s areas of energy, merely observe him enjoying.

The eight types or a number of intelligences are:

1. Bodily (or kinesthetic): These kids wish to position play and sometimes use their palms when speaking. These kids could also be fidgety in a state of affairs the place they’re anticipated to take a seat. Kinesthetic learners typically get pleasure from sports activities, dance, climbing, or performing. Kinesthetic actions for studying the ABCs would come with making letters along with your physique. For instance, put your arms out straight to the facet to make a “T.” Hand actions coordinating with the letter sounds add a powerful kinesthetic element to studying. Energetic ABC songs like Hap Palmer’s “Alphabet in Movement” get children transferring whereas educating the ABCs.

2. Spatial: Can your baby construct wonderful issues with LEGOs? Artists, architects, and builders have sturdy spatial information. These kids love drawing and utilizing play dough. Make ABC letters out of play dough or be bending pipe cleaners into letter shapes for spatial studying.

3. Interpersonal: These kids relate nicely to others. They like studying in a gaggle setting. These kids are sometimes useful to siblings and others. An interpersonal method to educating the ABCs might embody enjoying ABC Bingo with a small group of pals or members of the family.

4. Musical: Does your baby faucet to the rhythm in a tune or make up music? All kids profit from listening to music and having fun with easy devices. Even when you do not sing nicely, sing along with your baby. There are lots of enjoyable ABC songs. Sing them whereas enjoying make selfmade musical devices. Fill a water bottle with rice to make use of as a shaker, recycle an oatmeal can right into a drum, or faucet rhythm sticks.

5. Linguistic: Does your baby love books? This is a crucial space for college success and like every of the areas of intelligence and might be practiced and improved. Linguistic intelligence includes language, writing, and studying. Learn alphabet books for ABC observe. There are lots of entertaining ABC books together with Chicka Chicka Increase Increase, Alphabet Metropolis, Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC, 26 Letters and 99 Cents, I Spy A to Z, and Animalia.

6. Naturalist: That is probably the most newly acknowledged space of intelligence added for the reason that unique listing was launched. Does your baby get pleasure from observing and studying about birds, crops, stars, or dinosaurs? Work in your kid’s favourite subjects as you observe the ABCs. For instance, for letter F, study fossils. For letter B, go fowl watching. For letter D, check-out books and flicks from the library about dinosaurs. One other highly effective approach on your baby who loves the outside is to attract the letters in moist grime with a stick or in a pie tin in a mud pie. Letters can be original out of organized rocks or sticks.

7. Intrapersonal: Does your baby want to work alone? Intrapersonal intelligence includes understanding oneself and reflecting. Some adults in addition to kids want to work alone. Pull a web page out of the newspaper or a grocery retailer advert and have your baby excessive gentle or circle the letter you’re engaged on. All of us want alone time now and again.

8. Logical (or mathematical): Does your baby like to depend? Logical/ mathematical kids are the scientists, pc programmers, and mathematicians of the long run. Have your baby depend the variety of a selected letter you discover whereas within the grocery retailer. Within the check- out line you’ll be able to complement her, “Wow, you discovered the letter D twenty-four occasions!”

For all kids, a multisensory method is finest, combining a number of senses and types. After observing your baby, discover her two or three strongest studying types. Deal with actions that suit your kid’s studying strengths. Constructing your kid’s confidence with studying success will profit her all through her college years. You’re the skilled in your baby. Your perception into your kid’s passions is profound and may spark a lifelong love of studying and exploration.