Each child has his or her individual strengths and weaknesses – as parents, how can we help our children cope with certain routines and environments that aren’t a “perfect match” for their learning preferences?
Our mommy team has come up with a few examples on how parents can help their children out!
#1 Financial Literacy
As early as two years old, children can already indicate their wants; and by three years old, children vaguely understand the nature of how currency is used.
Visual Learners learn best by observing, so they probably will be the quickest to pick up on the concept of “payment”, especially if they have had the opportunity to witness parents or caregivers paying for items.
Kinesthetic learners are largely similar to visual learners when it comes to concepts that are readily applied in real life. Early on, they will probably volunteer enthusiastically to be a part of the transaction, or help to choose items that go into the basket. My son, at the tender age of two, was very determined to carry at least one bag of groceries home, even if it was heavier than he could manage!
Auditory learners are chatterboxes so make it a point to vocalize your intentions and discuss your actions with your child. Out of all the learners, auditory learners will pick up on more complex money concepts such as salary, savings, insurance, simply because they listen in or participate in adult conversations.
For read and write learners, parents will find that they understand concepts best through storytelling and analysing. They will also enjoy role play and have fun pretending to scribble with intention as they mimic real life transactions.
In a nutshell,
#2 Preparing for School
Frankly speaking, these days parents need not worry too much about classroom learning as educators do make an effort to teach the same concept in various ways. Group work, class discussions, hands-on experiences, activity worksheets, excursions, etc.
What our mommy team agrees however, is that helping children manage social interactions and doing revision at home is important.
Listening to Others and Revision at Home
When it comes to group work, discussions, recess and the classroom, auditory learners excel and listening – but some might show a marked preference towards listening to themselves, rather than listening to the thoughts and opinions of others. It is good to expose auditory learners to speakers who use different emphasis and nuances of speech. Mask wearing has muffled speech somewhat, so auditory learners may need your assistance to vocalise parts of the text book or repeat certain explanations that they were unable to catch in class.
Depending on their inherent temperament and personalities, other types of learners may vary in their ability to listen and focus. Especially with mask wearing becoming the norm, kinesthetic and visual learners struggle slightly more, as they are deprived from facial expressions and mouth movements. Parents can encourage them to overcome this through note-taking instead.
Read and Write learners try to quickly write down information as this helps them understand and process it. However, in the process of doing so, they may feel overwhelmed because our speaking speed is naturally faster than our writing speed. Teaching a read and write learner certain shortcuts such as shorthand, can be useful for reducing the stress they experience while note-taking in class.
For Visual learners, punctuating their notes with highlights, or grouping items together that reflect their hierarchy or relationship, is extremely useful.
On the other hand, the physical movement involved in making notes itself is soothing to kinesthetic learners, as it helps them retain focus.
Read and Write learners also use writing as a means to focus and process information.
Auditory learners focus best when they listen uninterrupted – however, parents should encourage auditory learners to make quick indications to note which areas they do not understand.
Do you know what’s your own preferred learning style? Understanding your own learning style can help you see the gaps between how you and your child perceive things differently, which can significantly ease the learning journey that both of you embark on together.
Take our quiz here to find out!