What's Your Child's Learning Style?

By Patricia Berry

How does your child interact with the world? At the beach, does he stop to observe how the sand feels between his toes or head straight for the water to jump in? On a walk in the park, does he listen for the sounds different birds make or pretend he can fly with arms spread wide? In the backyard, does he look under rocks for bugs or collect sticks to play with later? The answers to those questions tell you something about how your child naturally takes in information. And understanding his particular style at an early age will make introducing new ideas and activities easier for you -- and a lot more fun for him.

The concept of different learning styles, or multiple intelligences, is well known to educators. Harvard professor and psychologist Howard Gardner came up with the theory that all children have a very specific strength through which they learn, whether it's music, art, motor skills, reading and talking, math concepts, understanding nature, or socializing with others. Teachers and parents can focus on those strengths to help kids learn in the best way possible.

But categorizing toddlers and preschoolers into one of these narrow areas does risk overlooking other strengths. Toddlers are still "developing the skills they need to adapt to the world around them," says Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., professor of child, family, and clinical psychology at Rutgers University. Still, there's no doubt that it's easier for young children to learn when information is adapted to them than when they have to adapt to it.

The categories for toddlers are much broader, according to Elias. There's the active learner, the quiet learner, and the child who falls somewhere in between. Here's how to know what type your child is.

The active learner is busy, inquisitive, curious, and obviously eager to learn. She's chatty and soaks up her experiences like a sponge. She may be physically active too, with well-developed large-motor skills and some fine motor skills, too. Knowing what interests her will be relatively easy to find out - she'll tell you or show you. Let those interests guide the activities you plan. The child who jumps on every swing set she sees may not enjoy sitting and listening to you read a story. So adapt story-time to her natural style. Choose picture books that reflect subjects she's interested in, and let her act out the story as you read.

The quiet learner may seem less interested in his surroundings, but don't assume he's not experiencing them. He most likely enjoys being read to, and consequently may have strong verbal skills. He may also be a more tactile learner who takes in information through his senses: by touch, hearing or seeing. To get him to express his interests and thoughts, ask questions about his day, and look for opportunities to involve him in activities. Let him dig his hands into a bowl of dry rice to feel its texture before you cook it. Once you're sitting at the dinner table, ask him to describe the texture after it's prepared.

The in-between child demonstrates a mixture of learning styles. He may be physically active and still love to have stories told to him. He may enjoy feeling the graininess of the sand as much as splashing in the water. Build on his interests whenever possible, using many different types of messages and experiences. This child may later develop a more specific style, but for now, he's open to many different opportunities to learn.

Temperament also plays a role in how children learn, according to Elias. For example, a child who is sensitive to strong stimuli, such as loud noises, may not respond well to a noisy live show no matter how much he loves the costumed characters on stage. Knowing what feelings your child brings to his experiences will help you decide what he should or shouldn't participate in.