Every human being is born an eager learner. You see your child’s excitement almost on a daily basis throughout their first few years as they are challenged by life—everything is new with wonderful adventures around every corner. A love of learning is inherent, yet assuring that joy is long-lasting comes from keeping that original excitement alive. I often hear friends converse about “instilling” a love of learning in our children, however that really is not the task at hand because this enthusiasm exists from birth. Instead, we must protect that love from becoming squelched by taking care to discover our child’s learning style in combination with their unique intelligence and by teaching to their talents and interests.

We each absorb new material best in different ways. In fact, the options can be quite complex with the possibilities including auditory, visual, or bodily kinesthetic learning or a combination of these. What’s more, we each hold intelligence in different forms—spatial, verbal, mathematical, bodily, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal or a possible blend. (See box, at right, for definitions.)  Pinpointing your child’s learning style in combination with his intelligence will help you capitalize on their strengths, so they will learn more efficiently in all situations. This is not necessarily an easy task but is a sure fire way to ensure success and therefore confidence and zest.

A simple example of how this strategy works: My seven-year old has had great difficulty in learning to tell time, even though my husband and I have gone over the concept with her over and over again.  One day, I presented her with an open-faced clock so she could physically touch the hands and manually twist them around to experiment with how the big hand related to the small hand.  I then explained to her that if she wished to go to a party later on, she would be required to “watch the clock.” 

Suddenly, it all seemed to “click” for her.  Not only had I found a way to present the concept of time in a kinesthetic way, I had tied this concept of “time” to its important role in socialization.  Her high level of “interpersonal” intelligence reinforced my “hands on” lesson and she was suddenly excited about this learning experience.

I have learned a great deal about learning styles from www.LDPride.net.  If you have a personal experience with learning styles that you’d like to share, please contact me at Scoop@MBayKids.com and place “Homeschooling” in the subject line.  I’d love to hear from you!

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