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Going hands-on can give you a leg up on learning.
Author
Chal Emery
Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield
Published: August 24, 2023
Going hands-on can give you a leg up on learning.
Author
Chal Emery
Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield
Published: August 24, 2023
Going hands-on can give you a leg up on learning.
Expert Reviewer
Jill Padfield
Published: August 24, 2023
Key takeaways
While the notion of specific learning styles, like visual or auditory learning, has fallen out of fashion, appealing to a wide array of interests and diversifying how you go about teaching and reviewing material are good ideas.
Kinesthetic learning specifically refers to teaching in a way that gets learners active and moving. This kind of learning can range from simple manipulatives and toys to full-fledged activities that get kids running, jumping, or even dancing as they practice skills.
Traditionally, a kinesthetic learner is someone who is deeply in tune with their body. They respond best to simply doing something rather than listening to an explanation or watching someone do it. These kinds of learners are often drawn to sports or other physical activities, but that is not always the case. Of course, all kids benefit from a hands-on approach, but those who identify as kinesthetic are particularly drawn to this style of learning.
While more recent studies show that learning styles are not necessarily strictly defined for individuals, taking a kinesthetic approach to a lesson or a review session still has plenty of benefits for all sorts of learners. This means that kinesthetic learning can be great for all students, not just a select few.
A chance to think creatively and move around can be an exciting break from more traditional seatwork. And while not all topics and skills can be easily addressed with kinesthetic activities, regular opportunities to get up and active can be a lot of fun to plan and participate in.
Aside from the fun that comes with moving around, you can also feel good about using these kinds of opportunities as a chance to work in a work out in your lessons. With childhood obesity still presenting a considerable problem across the country, any chance to get active is a great way to burn calories and promote a healthy, active lifestyle.
Even the most dedicated student can get a little tired of the same kind of assignments and activities day after day. Adding a variety of activities to your study sessions will help keep learners engaged and attentive, and kinesthetic exercises are a great way to break up some monotony.
Kinesthetic learners can sometimes be a little distracted in their quest for movement. A tapping pencil here or a restless twitch there can irk other learners, so a quick kinesthetic activity can help get some of that energy out to make seat work a little more peaceful and effective.
Kinesthetic learning is great, but you may be wondering how to best implement more hands-on elements into math lessons specifically. Fortunately, with a little planning and preparation, you’ll find that there are plenty of fun and creative ways to get your learners flexing their minds and their muscles.
The playground classic hopscotch can be modified to teach basic arithmetic. Rather than simply hopping from one space to another, players might need to hop to specific combinations of numbers to get specific sums in order to score points.
If you are working on any basic math principles, manipulatives might be a great help with getting your child to visualize the math while keeping their hands busy. Any collection of small objects can be used to teach basic arithmetic. A handful of Cheerios or LEGOs can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided.
If you are working on geometry, building blocks, peg and rubber band boards, and many other manipulatives exist to help kids learn how different shapes relate to one another.
Scoring in sports already requires a little bit of math, but modifying the scoring systems can make the math as demanding as you want it to be. Instead of each basket being worth one or two points apiece, maybe each subsequence basket is worth the previous point value multiplied by two. With a little imagination, you can work all sorts of math principles into your child’s favorite sport.
If you happen to have some Nerf guns handy or even just some paper balls, you can set up a shooting gallery with lots of different numbers. As you call out different math problems, players can race around to shoot or knock over targets labeled with the corresponding number. Just be careful when playing like this in the house.
Sometimes, just taking the math practice outside and onto the sidewalk is enough to get those kinesthetic learners engaged. You can write out some problems in advance or get your learner even move involved by asking them to help.
This one will take a little extra time to plan, but it’s a fun and rewarding way to put your child to the test with their math and problem-solving skills. You can devise a scavenger hunt, where the numerical answers to math problems correspond with words or letters. When your learner gets a few problems correct, a clue to finding a hidden location in the house or in the yard will be revealed. Make sure you have a nice reward ready for when they crack the codes and make it to the end of the hunt.
If you are trying to work with fractions, simulating making measurements in a laboratory or a kitchen can be a fun way to appeal to your child’s imagination and need to get their hands dirty. Prepare all kinds of measuring cups and scales along with an assortment of substances to measure and mix together. You and your learner can pretend to be making a cake or even a magical potion. Just keep the materials you use nice and kid-friendly.
Start by drawing out a giant number line. You might do this in chalk on a sidewalk or with masking tape in a hallway. Number this line up to 100 and get ready to have your kid zooming back and forth along this line. Have them stand at the zero and read off quick math problems. As soon as they have the sum or product figured out, they need to race as quickly to that spot on the number line as they can. You can really get their heart pounding by quickly adding or subtracting from the numbers as they run.
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While visual learners prefer to watch demonstrations of a skill in order to learn it, kinesthetic learners want to get right into practicing the skill so they can learn as they do.
The classical impression was that there are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. However, recent studies have disproved the notion that appealing to learning styles and preferences improve comprehension. Instead, studies show that you should seek a variety of teaching methods to keep things fresh and interesting.
Teachers often try to appeal to all kinds of learning and grant students opportunities to learn in ways they prefer. While not every lesson can get every student up and out of their seats, teachers will add kinesthetic components when possible. Auditory lessons are often paired with visuals and demonstrations to appeal to those learning styles as well.
Differentiated learning is when lessons and activities are customized to the specialized needs of individual students. Since every person is a little different and will respond to challenges and tasks in a wide variety of ways, learning needs to take many forms.
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Chal Emery
Chal Emery graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s in Global History and Political Science. Outside of writing, he enjoys long drives through spectacular country, and spending time getting lost in a decent film.
Jill Padfield
Jill Padfield has 7 years of experience teaching high school mathematics, ranging from Alegra 1 to AP Calculas. She is currently working as a Business Analyst, working to improve services for Veterans while earning a masters degree in business administration.
Chal Emery
Chal Emery graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor’s in Global History and Political Science. Outside of writing, he enjoys long drives through spectacular country, and spending time getting lost in a decent film.
Jill Padfield
Jill Padfield has 7 years of experience teaching high school mathematics, ranging from Alegra 1 to AP Calculas. She is currently working as a Business Analyst, working to improve services for Veterans while earning a masters degree in business administration.
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