Learning is reflected in the way we understand new information in response to environmental, social, emotional and physical stimuli. Learning style or strategy is defined as the way that information is processed. Most children show a preference for one of the three basic learning styles: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. There is no right or wrong strategy for learning, nor is it uncommon to combine learning styles. It is also not unusual for parents to prefer a different learning style than their child.

Visual learners learn by watching. They visualize the way things look in their heads. Auditory learners learn by listening and remember facts when presented in the form of a poem or song. They may not visualize well and sometimes have trouble reading. Kinesthetic learners learn by movement and manipulation; touching and doing. They like to find out how things work and may have difficulty learning in a traditional environment. It is important for a parent to understand his/her own learning style along with the preferred strategy of the child in order to learn what the best approach will be to introducing new information.

It may be best to introduce different learning styles in different situations. For example, only 10 percent of secondary school children are auditory learners, while 80 percent of school instruction is delivered in this way. You may want to explore the way the subject is being presented in school and approach it using a different learning strategy at home. It may also help to discuss any learning issues with the child’s teacher. Consider the environment in which the child learns best, whether a quiet room or more chaotic study situation, and try out different methods to prevent the child from becoming frustrated. Working together with your child, you can experiment with different styles of learning to improve the child’s accomplishments and feelings of success.