learned to read properly. Another sign is that they love listening
to music and singing. At school, auditory learners often hum
when they do their work.
How To Help With Homework: Have your kids vocalize
the material they’re studying. Making up rhymes and songs will
help them better remember it. Have them record themselves ex-
plaining the material, so that they can listen to the recordings
whenever needed. If they have a difficult time understanding
something, explain it to them orally. Since auditory learners are
highly sensitive to auditory stimuli, have classical or instrumen-
tal music playing in the background when they study.
Reading/Writing Learners
How They Learn: Some kids process new information
by reading or writing about it. A sign that your kids might be
reading/writing learners is that they enjoy keeping a journal or
writing creative stories. At school, reading/writing learners are
especially good at taking notes from their textbooks and from
what the teachers are writing down on the blackboard.
How To Help With Homework: Have your kids write
down what they’re supposed to learn in an organized way. Have
them create detailed study notes, organized nicely into sections
with proper headings. Get them to look up information online
and in reference material as they work. Since reading and writ-
ing require focus, make sure their study space is nice and quiet.
Kinesthetic Learners
How They Learn: Kinesthetic learners process new infor-
mation through hands-on activities that allow them to touch and
manipulate objects. A sign that your kids might be kinesthetic
learners is that they love creating new things with building
blocks or taking things apart to see how they work. At school,
kinesthetic learners especially enjoy tactile scientific experi-
ments.
How To Help With Homework: Have your kids study with
physical objects. This can be using coins to learn math, or cut-
ting letters to practice spelling. Since touch and movement help
kinesthetic learners process new information, encourage them
to stretch regularly or move when they study.
Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Commu-
nication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of
New York – Brooklyn College.
September 2019 WNY Family 11