Knowing what type of learner your child is can really help to transform their learning. By identifying how they learn best, even the topics they find boring can be turned into an engaging and exciting educational experience!
Take our quiz below to discover which of the three key learning types – visual, auditory or kinesthetic – best suits your child. Then, have a look at our top study tips for each.
1. Which of the following is your child’s favourite subject?
a. Art
b. Music
c. P.E.
2. My child enjoys…
a. Books with lots of pictures
b. Being read stories
c. Reenacting scenes from their favourite books
3. Before getting started on an activity, my child likes to…
a. Be shown an example of what they’ll be doing
b. Be told what they’ll be doing
c. Jump straight in!
4. On a long car journey, my child is most likely to…
a Play ‘I-spy’
b. Listen to music
c. Become fidgety and restless (and repeatedly ask, “Are we there yet?”!)
5. Which of the following does your child enjoy the most?
a. Reading
b. Playing their favourite instrument
c. Heading to the local park for a runaround
6. When my child is writing out a word, they…
a. Write it down to see if it looks correct
b. Say it out loud and sound out the different parts of the word
c. Trace it in the air to visualise the word
7. A dream day out for your child would be…
a. Visiting an aquarium
b. Going to a busy funfair
c. Heading to a trampoline park
…Tallied up your results? It’s time to see what type of learner your child is!
Mostly A: they’re a visual learner
Visual learners learn best through seeing. They love looking at pictures, graphs and diagrams – especially when colour is involved!
Visual learners also enjoy reading and are very interested in the world around them and enjoy exploring it through pictures, maps and videos.
Top tips for your learning:
- Use lots of colours! Encourage your child to use coloured pens and flashcards when making notes, especially to draw attention to important facts.
- Visual learners love mindmaps to help develop their ideas. Use large pieces of paper to explore their ideas and thoughts about a topic.
- Use imagery to represent concepts rather than numbers or words. For example, when learning about fractions, you could use an image of a pie that shows one third.
Mostly B: they’re an auditory learner
Auditory learners learn best by listening and discussing ideas. They enjoy chatting and asking lots of questions and love listening to music, podcasts and the sounds of the great outdoors.
Top tips for your learning:
- Discuss tricky concepts with your child by using simple words and language. Encourage them to ask any questions they may have as you go! If you’re unsure how to explain a particular topic, take a look at our topic guides for Reception to Year 6.
- Use rhymes, mnemonics and songs to remember tricky spellings, key dates and facts.
- Educational podcasts are a fantastic way to enhance your child’s learning and encourage their curiosity! Check out these fantastic literature podcasts for children to get started.
Mostly C: they’re a kinaesthetic learner
Kinaesthetic learners learn best by doing. They love to be active and like to learn best through hands-on, practical activities.
Kinaesthetic learners love sport and activities and will often use their hands while talking: they’re always making, building or testing things with their hands!
Top tips for your learning:
- Try to keep explanations, whether written or spoken, as short and succinct as possible.
- When designing activities and tasks, encourage them to be as hands-on in your learning as possible. Why not check out these fun maths activities you can do at home!
- Spend less time reading and more time encouraging your child to answer questions by using DoodleMaths’ personalised work programmes.
For personalised mathematical fun, DoodleMaths has thousands of curriculum-aligned exercises and educational games for your child to enjoy. Try it today!
