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4 Types of Learning Styles And Their Significance During Play
Everyone learns differently.
In the classroom, children are grouped together and taught exactly the same way as their peers.
However, this often creates a division between students who adapt to the style of learning implemented by their teacher, and those who prefer an alternate way of learning.
The same principle is evident during play.
It is important as educators we recognise this and facilitate play suited to each individual child.
The 4 main learning styles are as follows:
Visual
Visual learners pick up skills easily if they are presented with visual stimuli such as a video or picture.
In the classroom, this could be in the form of a graph or chart.
During play, children more suited to visual learning may find videos or tutorials easier to follow, rather than an educator merely vocalising instructions.
For example, telling a student the exact folds to make during a paper aeroplane competition may result in some success, but a tutorial shown on YouTube may result in a far greater application to the task.
The most common form of learning, visual learners retain approximately 75% of what they see and often thrive in creative exercises, such as building and drawing.
It is important to fulfill visual learner’s needs, particularly when running a creative activity.
Auditory
Have you ever given the perfect explanation for an activity, only for a number of children to ask questions which you know you’ve already answered?
It may be because they weren’t paying attention, but could also be due to their learning style.
Auditory (or aural) learners are able to easily pick up and understand verbal instructions, so the chances are they won’t be the ones asking unnecessary questions.
But what auditory learners do need, is clarity.
They don’t rely on demonstrations like many of the other learning styles and often work well in groups where teamwork is required.
They are also able to respond quickly to instructions, so will likely enjoy games such as Ship, Shark, Shore or Simon Says.
However, with verbal instructions often the easiest and most used form of communication when running an activity, it is important to cater to others who do not pick up on verbal cues as quickly.
Reading and Writing
Reading & Writing learners experience play best when directions are written down.
They often annotate these into synthesized notes they are able to remember more easily.
A great activity for these types of learners is a group story.
Children sit in a circle and take it in turns to vocalise/ write down one word at a time. Eventually, their words should form a sentence. This continues until the group has written down a legible story which can be read out at the end.
Children who learn best from reading and writing will thrive in this environment and be able to communicate their creativity more effectively.
When explaining outdoor activities, these types of learners would appreciate notes on the rules for whichever activity is being run, enabling them to play to their full potential.
We must do what we can to cater to the needs of every child.
Kinaesthetic
Lastly, kinaesthetic learners learn best by ‘doing’.
Through a hands-on approach to play they are able to grasp concepts much quicker.
This applies to both indoor and outdoor activities where children are new to a certain skill or instruction.
For example, a game of 4-square handball requires excellent hand-eye coordination and practice.
As educators, we can explain how to play, demonstrate what to do, and even write down the exact movements needed to succeed, however, it's the physical playing of the game where children learn how to excel.
Just 5% of the population are kinaesthetic learners, but have been known to thrive in activities involving a hands-on approach.
Some children will present multiple styles of learning and adapt easily to different strategies of explanation.
Others will not.
With each child differing in their approach, it is important to facilitate their play as much as we can, in order for children to feel included and confidently grow in their abilities.
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