How to Identify and Support Your Child’s Learning Style

Why Learning Styles Matter

The way a child processes information is closely linked to their cognitive diversity. Personalised learning strategies matched to a child’s preferred learning style can improve comprehension, retention and engagement, promoting long-term academic success.

How Learning Styles Affect Memory and Retention

Memory formation varies depending on learning style.

While visual learners recall information through images, auditory learners remember spoken words and kinaesthetic learners retain concepts through hands-on activities.

Traditional teaching methods often favour lecture and reading, which may not suit each child’s unique learning strengths.

The Role of Parents and Educators in Learning Adaptation

Parents and teachers serve as learning guides by observing children’s learning habits and preferences to adapt teaching methods.

Simple adaptations — such as using flashcards for visual learners or movement breaks for kinaesthetic learners — help create a more effective and engaging learning environment.

Types of Learning Styles and How to Recognise Them

Understanding the different learning styles helps to tailor lessons to a child’s strengths. By recognising whether a child is a visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner, parents can better support their academic growth and engagement.

Visual Learners: Absorbing Information Through Images

Visual learners process information best through diagrams, colours and pictures. They excel at using mind maps, diagrams and flashcards to organise concepts.

Engaging with visual aids improves memory, clarifies abstract ideas and improves overall understanding through structured, image-based learning techniques.

Flashcards

• Help reinforce key concepts through repetition.
• Use images and keywords for quick recall.

Charts & Graphs

• Organise information into structured formats.
• Ideal for comparing data, timelines, and patterns.

Mind Maps

• Connect ideas visually to enhance comprehension.
• Break down complex topics into easy-to-follow branches.

Visual Outlines

• Structure lessons using bullet points and highlights.
• Provide a clear roadmap for studying.

Colour-Coding

• Differentiate topics with colours for better retention.
• Helps prioritise and categorise information.

Key Traits of Visual Learners

Visual learners process information best through pictures, diagrams and spatial understanding.

They often prefer colour-coded notes, mind maps and visual aids to retain information effectively.

Due to their ability to memorise images and patterns, they are more likely to interpret tables and diagrams than follow verbal instructions.

Study Techniques for Visual Learners

To improve learning, visual learners should use graphic organisers, flashcards and videos to structure information.

Mind maps and illustrated summaries can help with complex topics.

Colour-coded notes can improve memory as they make it easier to identify important information at a glance when reviewing or learning.

Auditory Learners: Understanding Through Sound

Auditory learners understand information better when it is spoken or listened to. They are well suited to verbal interactions, storytelling and singing or dancing.

These learners benefit most from group discussions, lectures and listening to podcasts, as they understand information better by listening than by reading or doing.

Signs That Your Child is an Auditory Learner

Auditory learners may pronounce things, read chapters with a song or memorise through melodies.

Non-reading students usually enjoy storytelling, music and discussion rather than working with pictures or text.

Signs That Your Child is an Auditory Learner

• Enjoys Listening to Stories – Prefers storytelling and verbal explanations over reading or visuals.
  

• Learns Best Through Discussion – Grasps concepts better when they can talk through ideas or participate in discussions.
  
  
• Memorises Using Rhymes and Songs – Recalls information by associating it with melodies or rhythm.
  
• Reads Aloud for Better Understanding – Often reads text out loud to process and retain information.
  
• Struggles with Silent Reading – May find it difficult to absorb information without hearing it.
  
• Responds Well to Verbal Instructions – Follows spoken directions more easily than written ones.
  
• Enjoys Group Learning – Prefers study groups, debates, and lectures over independent study.
  
• Sensitive to Tone and Sounds – Notices subtle changes in voice tone and background sounds.

Best Study Methods for Auditory Learners

For auditory learners, information retention is most efficiently achieved through audiobooks, lectures, and oral repetition.

Study sessions with groups and discussions make it easier for them to memorise concepts. Reading aloud, rhyming, and using mnemonic devices also significantly improve their memory.

Interactive question-and-answer sessions with the teacher or other students can help even more, as they can gain a better understanding.

Kinesthetic Learners: Learning by Doing

Kinesthetic learners understand everything best when movement or action is involved. They find it difficult to read or listen to lectures as they are very passive.

They are good at role-playing, doing activities and integrating concepts. This is what makes them so good in lessons that require physical movement.

Common Traits of Kinesthetic Learners

These types of learners are often fidgety, full of energy and find it difficult to sit still for long periods of time.

They learn by acting out concepts and also doing physical activities to memorise concepts. Participating in hands-on learning activities helps them concentrate in class.

Common Traits of Kinesthetic Learners

• Constantly Moving – Often fidgets, taps feet, or shifts in their seat while learning.
• Learns by Doing – Grasps new concepts better through hands-on activities and experiments.
• Enjoys Physical Activities – Prefers interactive lessons, role-playing, or movement-based exercises.
• Struggles with Long Lectures – Finds it hard to sit still and stay focused during passive learning sessions.
• Uses Gestures While Talking – Expresses ideas through movement, hand gestures, or demonstrations.
• Strong Hand-Eye Coordination – Excels in activities requiring physical interaction, like sports or crafts.
• Remembers Through Action – Retains information best when acting out concepts or engaging in real-world applications.
• Prefers Tactile Learning Tools – Benefits from using objects like models, flashcards, or manipulatives to reinforce learning.

Effective Learning Techniques for Kinesthetic Learners

To learn the subject matter more effectively, movement-based activities such as role-playing, real-life applications and hands-on activities are highly recommended.

Explaining concepts with the help of gestures, practising with real-life applications or even movement breaks generally improve memorisation.

It is easier to grasp complex ideas if you build models, act them out or learn by touching structured materials.

How to Identify Your Child’s Preferred Learning Style

Identifying your child’s learning style will make it easier to address their educational needs. Parents and teachers can use daily learning patterns to recognise which mix of visual, auditory and hands-on activities a child prefers.

Trying out small illustrations with spoken or real-life instructions will help identify the strongest learning paradigm for a child.

Want to find out your child’s dominant learning style? Take this quiz to get personalised insights and tailor their study techniques effectively.

Observation Strategies for Parents

Children's interaction with new content provides insight into their learning preferences.

If a child prefers to watch videos or diagrams, they may be a visual learner. However, they may also prefer to talk about problems, indicating that they are more inclined towards auditory learning.

A preference for constructing handling or touching objects indicates a more kinetic approach.

Testing and Assessment Tools

Tests administered in class and informal assessment of the child’s cognitive abilities can help to identify the areas in which a child is strong or has developed a positive attitude.

Standardised tests, teacher assessments and individual discussions with the school psychologist help to refine the child's learning techniques.

These assessments help to formulate a personalised education plan that takes into account the child’s learning style and strategies.

Adapting Teaching Methods for Different Learners

Children learn in different ways, which means that teachers and carers need to make the effort to adapt their teaching methods accordingly.

Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic approaches can be used simultaneously to create the most inclusive learning environment possible.

Adaptive teaching ensures that students stay focussed, retain the material better and integrate their knowledge better.

Creating Learning Environments That Support All Learning Styles

A good learning environment offers different approaches that are combined in such a way that they support learners of all categories.

To encourage the active participation of students who are visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners, classrooms and home workstations should include visually stimulating materials, discussions and hands-on activities.

Lessons can also be enhanced through the use of collaborative dialogues, systematic lesson sequences and modern interactive technologies.

Recommended Learning Resources and Tools

Different students will use these materials depending on their learning preferences. Lay books, digital self-study programmes and active devices will meet the needs of visual, auditory and bubble learners.

These materials provide personalised instruction tailored to each learner's preferred approach, enabling them to learn and retain important information effortlessly.

Learning Tools Based on Learning Styles

Visual Learners

• Illustrated books and color-coded notes
• Infographics, charts, and mind maps
• Educational videos and slide presentations

Auditory Learners

• Audiobooks and recorded lectures
• Podcasts and verbal discussion groups
• Rhyming techniques and spoken explanations

Kinesthetic Learners

• Hands-on learning kits and models
• Role-playing exercises and interactive simulations
• Writing, drawing, and building activities

"Best Books for Different Learning Styles"

Books that are specifically tailored to different types of learners can significantly improve understanding and engagement.

Visual learners appreciate guidebooks with pictures, auditory learners prefer audiobooks, while kinaesthetic learners favour workbooks with activities.

Top Educational Apps by Learning Style

Students of different ages learn best with the help of modern technology, which is a great way to motivate them.

Visual learning types are catered for with animated and diagrammatic apps, while audio apps are suitable for auditory learning types and gesture-based apps for kinaesthetic learning types.

Hands-on Learning Tools & Manipulatives

Physical learning aids such as flashcards, 3D models and interactive kits are a great help for kinaesthetic learners.

Experimental learning aids such as scientific experiments and construction models facilitate the retention of concepts through active participation.

Online Courses & Video-Based Learning Platforms

Structured online courses can benefit everyone, regardless of preferred learning style or age, as they add flexibility to learning.

Video tutorials benefit visual and auditory learners, while interactive exercises and real-world applications ensure that kinaesthetic learners understand the concepts.

Final Thoughts: Helping Your Child Succeed

Self-confidence and academic success go hand in hand – supporting your child's unique learning style will ensure that success.

Parents and teachers must develop flexible teaching methods and encourage a holistic approach to learning.

Using personalised plans, children will learn how to absorb, retain and apply information to have a solid educational foundation.

Encouraging a Holistic Approach to Learning

Education cannot be achieved through memorisation alone. To truly acquire life skills, children need to learn through a blend of creativity, emotional support, and different teaching styles. Promoting visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning together increases adaptability and practical thinking and ensures that the educational needs of all children are met in a non-boring, effective way.