Second Semester Homeschool or Mid-Year Homeschooling
You can begin homeschooling your children at any time of the year. Many families prefer to make the transition during the semester break.
Here are some helpful ideas to make the transition go smoothly:
• Check state laws by contacting your state's homeschool association or the homeschool division of your state's department of education.
• Allow plenty of time for your children to decompress, to reconnect with the normal rhythms of family life, and to "find themselves" again.
• Don't stress over what "to teach" or be intimidated by Common Core Standards. The Standards only pertain to public schools. Your homeschool need not be governed by Common Core Standards. If you want to follow the Standards for English and Math, you may read them on the CoreStandards.org website. (Note: State standards have been around since the beginning of public schools and continually evolve or are changed.)
• Discuss your children's interests, then take a field trip to your local library. Check out armloads of books, DVDs, and educational games that relate to your child's current interests.
• Observe your child's best learning style, i.e., visual, auditory, tactile, or kinesthetic learning styles. Incorporate specific activities that best support or supplement your child's unique ways of garnering, processing, and absorbing information.
• Start a scrapbook at the beginning of your homeschool and allow children to be as creative with it as they want to be. Encourage them to add to the scrapbook regularly. This will become a type of "portfolio" or "record" of your child's daily or weekly homeschool experiences.
• For daily and weekly homeschooling, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Happy homeschooling!
Showing posts with label learning styles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning styles. Show all posts
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Your Child's Best Learning Style
Observe and Highlight Your Child’s Learning Style -- Plus Enter to Win a Book on Learning Styles
As you prepare for your homeschool year, remember to observe your child’s best learning style. The style that works for one child won’t necessarily work for another. When children process information in the way that works best for them, they’ll soar! And your homeschool adventures will be more successful and more enjoyable! For 9 months of Weekly Lessons for Grades K-12 in all subject areas, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Three Common Learning Styles
1. Visual learners. These children prefer to spend time poring over pictures and graphics, and respond to bright colors and visual stimulation. They tend to learn best through visual presentations.
2. Auditory learners. These children enjoy listening to music, CDs, or audio tapes, and to people reading aloud or talking. They can learn best through discussions and verbal information.
3. Tactile-kinesthetic learners. These children 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.
Although a child may appear to be a visual learner or kinesthetic learner, it doesn’t exclude him from trying other learning styles, too, or a combination of styles. The important part is to help your child learn in the way that makes the most sense to him, while still providing a well-balanced learning environment.
* * *
Activities for Different Learning Styles
Visual learners need to see visual images, in order to fully absorb information. When thinking and processing information, they often see pictures in their minds.
Visual tips for visual learning environments:
• Create posters, artwork, or colorful pictorials to accompany lessons.
• Hang educational charts, displays, illustrations, maps, and mobiles.
• Make flow charts, pie charts, and diagrams to illustrate math and science concepts.
• Design colorful flashcards for spelling, vocabulary, English, and math skills.
• Use computer applications, software, or games for learning topics.
• Watch educational videos or DVDs.
• Read illustrated reference books or picture books.
* * *
Auditory learners learn through hearing. They grasp information better by listening to someone reading aloud or to CDs or audio books, hearing descriptions or experiences, or by participating in discussions.
Auditory tips for auditory learning environments:
• Read material aloud to auditory learners.
• Use rhythm and voice inflection when reading and talking.
• Present material in an interesting storytelling format.
• Create musical or dramatic presentations of topics studied.
• Record lessons for children to play and replay.
• Engage in lively discussions and debates on various subjects.
• Use CDs, audiotapes, or recorded books relating to topics studied.
* * *
Tactile and kinesthetic learners absorb information through touching and moving. This learning group is sometimes broken into two separate categories: tactile and tactile-kinesthetic. Both groups are similar, with the tactile-kinesthetics enjoying hands-on experiences as well as lots of movement in their learning styles.
Tactile-kinesthetic tips for tactile-kinesthetic learning environments:
• Understand that movement and touch is imperative for learning.
• Provide a variety of manipulatives for hands-on learning.
• Incorporate games, construction sets, Geoboards, and Cuisenaire rods into lessons.
• Use lab equipment for experimenting with science and math concepts.
• Perform dramatic plays that bring social studies and literature to life.
• Read or study while swaying to music or tapping feet.
• Create lessons choreographed to dance music.
• Take frequent field trips related to topics studied.
* * *
Most children will benefit from a combination of these activities. And children who lean toward a specific style will benefit greatly when more focus is placed upon their particular learning style.
*** Material above is an excerpt from my book, The Everything Guide to Homeschooling, Copyright © 2015, available through our website at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Have a Happy Homeschool Year!
As you prepare for your homeschool year, remember to observe your child’s best learning style. The style that works for one child won’t necessarily work for another. When children process information in the way that works best for them, they’ll soar! And your homeschool adventures will be more successful and more enjoyable! For 9 months of Weekly Lessons for Grades K-12 in all subject areas, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Three Common Learning Styles
1. Visual learners. These children prefer to spend time poring over pictures and graphics, and respond to bright colors and visual stimulation. They tend to learn best through visual presentations.
2. Auditory learners. These children enjoy listening to music, CDs, or audio tapes, and to people reading aloud or talking. They can learn best through discussions and verbal information.
3. Tactile-kinesthetic learners. These children 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.
Although a child may appear to be a visual learner or kinesthetic learner, it doesn’t exclude him from trying other learning styles, too, or a combination of styles. The important part is to help your child learn in the way that makes the most sense to him, while still providing a well-balanced learning environment.
* * *
Activities for Different Learning Styles
Visual learners need to see visual images, in order to fully absorb information. When thinking and processing information, they often see pictures in their minds.
Visual tips for visual learning environments:
• Create posters, artwork, or colorful pictorials to accompany lessons.
• Hang educational charts, displays, illustrations, maps, and mobiles.
• Make flow charts, pie charts, and diagrams to illustrate math and science concepts.
• Design colorful flashcards for spelling, vocabulary, English, and math skills.
• Use computer applications, software, or games for learning topics.
• Watch educational videos or DVDs.
• Read illustrated reference books or picture books.
* * *
Auditory learners learn through hearing. They grasp information better by listening to someone reading aloud or to CDs or audio books, hearing descriptions or experiences, or by participating in discussions.
Auditory tips for auditory learning environments:
• Read material aloud to auditory learners.
• Use rhythm and voice inflection when reading and talking.
• Present material in an interesting storytelling format.
• Create musical or dramatic presentations of topics studied.
• Record lessons for children to play and replay.
• Engage in lively discussions and debates on various subjects.
• Use CDs, audiotapes, or recorded books relating to topics studied.
* * *
Tactile and kinesthetic learners absorb information through touching and moving. This learning group is sometimes broken into two separate categories: tactile and tactile-kinesthetic. Both groups are similar, with the tactile-kinesthetics enjoying hands-on experiences as well as lots of movement in their learning styles.
Tactile-kinesthetic tips for tactile-kinesthetic learning environments:
• Understand that movement and touch is imperative for learning.
• Provide a variety of manipulatives for hands-on learning.
• Incorporate games, construction sets, Geoboards, and Cuisenaire rods into lessons.
• Use lab equipment for experimenting with science and math concepts.
• Perform dramatic plays that bring social studies and literature to life.
• Read or study while swaying to music or tapping feet.
• Create lessons choreographed to dance music.
• Take frequent field trips related to topics studied.
* * *
Most children will benefit from a combination of these activities. And children who lean toward a specific style will benefit greatly when more focus is placed upon their particular learning style.
*** Material above is an excerpt from my book, The Everything Guide to Homeschooling, Copyright © 2015, available through our website at EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Have a Happy Homeschool Year!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Children's Learning Styles and Learning Environments
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!
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