Learning Styles:
Visual learners. Children who prefer to spend time pouring over pictures and graphics, and respond to bright colors and visual stimulation. They tend to learn best through visual presentations.
Auditory learners. Children who enjoy listening to music, audio tapes, and people reading aloud or talking. They can learn best through discussions and verbal information.
Tactile-Kinesthetic learners. Children who like to move around, touch things, and talk, plus they have a difficult time sitting still. They learn best through an active, hands-on approach.
Some children do best with a combination of these styles. Try these styles, or a combination of them, and observe which best captures your child’s interests and enthusiasm. Interested, enthusiastic learners grasp concepts quicker and retain knowledge longer!
"Active Learning" Benefits:
Swiss educational theorist, Jean Piaget, found that quality learning took place when children were actively involved in their own learning process. Through exploration and discovery, children turned their experiences into learning patterns that provided foundations for further explorations and subsequent learning.
Piaget found that children’s cognitive skills, or the way they process information, were enhanced through physical experiences and perceptions. He believed in active learning environments where children could discover, absorb, and build on new experiences and information.
Learning Environment Ideas:
* Keep hands-on projects and manipulatives within easy reach of children.
* Display educational charts, posters, maps, illustrations, pictorials, and mobiles where children see them frequently.
* Designate an arts and crafts area with paints, clays, markers, arts and crafts supplies.
* Create a musical space for instruments, sound effects, musical equipment, and dancing.
* Design a theatrical area for dramatic plays to bring social studies and literature to life.
* Incorporate games, construction sets, Geo-Boards, and Cuisenaire rods into lessons.
* Use lab or kitchen equipment for experiments and for reinforcing science and math concepts.
* Browse learning center supplies, or photos of learning centers, to gain additional ideas for your own learning environment.
Your children will be thrilled to have fun, learning materials at their fingertips throughout the day, every day!
For more Homeschool Activities, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com and have fun learning!
Happy homeschooling!
