This part of our series on on learning styles looks at kinaesthetic learning. Kinaesthetic learning is about learning by doing.
Children who are kinaesthetic learners often:
- find it easiest to process knowledge through physical sensations – touching,
- feeling, doing
- are highly active
- struggle to sit still for long periods
- doodle
- communicate using body language and gestures rather than verbal
- show information rather than tell it
- want to touch and feel the world around them
- enjoy sports or other activities where they can keep moving
- enjoy activities that involve manipulating objects
Learning activities that encourage learning through kinaesthetic processing are:
moving around whilst learning e.g. playing games with educational bean bags having information around the room for a treasure hunt rather than as a worksheet to read- using fiddle toys whilst listening to aid concentration
- encouraging the use of signing to support language and understanding of concepts
- having props that can be handled whilst discussing concepts e.g passing around letter motifs / bags of objects when looking at initial sounds
- doing activities e.g. experiments to demonstrate concepts
- playing board games that involve movement to practice other skills
- making models
- having regular movement breaks in work time
- playing with puppets to tell stories / explain understanding of topics
- role playing situations
- going on learning walks, museum visits and field trips
- using magnetic letters or other letter cards e.g the puzzle pieces from Pass the Word to physically create words when spelling
