Understanding Learning Styles: A Key to Home School Success

Every child has a unique learning style, and as parents, it is crucial to identify that learning style and create an environment that helps them thrive and makes learning fun. As more and more families take control of their children’s education by choosing homeschooling as their preferred mode of education, it becomes important to understand how your children learn and how you, as parents, can tailor your homeschool experiences to fit individual learning styles. Exploring different learning styles can help you improve your child's homeschool learning success.

What are learning styles?

Simply put, learning styles are the way people approach learning and the strategies they use to understand new information. There are several different learning styles, but the most common ones are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Visual learners:

Visual learners prefer learning through visual aids, such as pictures, diagrams, and videos. They are good at remembering things they have seen and are often attracted to colorful, attention-grabbing materials. Visual learners tend to have strong spatial awareness and can easily visualize concepts in their minds. Visual learners often need people to be quiet so they can focus on “seeing” in order to learn.

Tips for teaching visual learners:

• Use visual aids like diagrams, pictures, and videos to explain concepts.
• Encourage them to take notes, draw diagrams, or create mind maps.
• Use highlighters or colored pens to emphasize important points.
• Encourage reading, as books may be an enjoyable learning tool.
• Provide a quiet space or noise-blocking headphones if your visual learner needs less distraction to focus.

Auditory learners:

Auditory learners prefer learning through listening and speaking. They have a strong sense of sound and are able to pick up on nuances in tone and pitch. They often have an excellent memory for things they have heard. Oftentimes, people confuse auditory learning as people who have to hear information to retain it. However, auditory learners don’t just need to hear information. They need to hear it in their own voice! If you have a child who repeats everything you say, is constantly humming and talking, and is verbally repetitive, you may have an auditory learner in your homeschool.

Tips for teaching auditory learners:

• Encourage discussions and debates to help them process information.
• Use recordings or podcasts to explain concepts
• Use music or songs to help them remember key points.
• Try audiobooks as your child follows along with reading to encourage this learner.
• Allow them to try listening to music as they do their worksheets, and see if it works. For some auditory learners, music can drown out other noises that may distract them.

Kinesthetic learners:

Kinesthetic learners learn best through hands-on activities and movement. They have a strong sense of touch and are able to learn by doing. They often have difficulty sitting still for long periods of time and need to move around to maintain their focus.

Tips for teaching kinesthetic learners:

• Use hands-on activities, experiments, and games to teach concepts.
• Allow them to move around while learning, such as pacing, standing, or fidgeting.
• Incorporate physical movement, such as jumping or clapping, to reinforce learning.
• While reading, consider offering frequent breaks or the ability to move around.

Tips to Help Identify Your Child's Preferred Learning Style

Identifying your child's learning style is crucial to tailoring their education to their needs. Here are some signs that can help you identify your child's learning style:

Visual learners:

• Enjoy reading, drawing, or looking at pictures.
• Have a strong sense of spatial awareness and can easily visualize things in their minds.
• Have good color coordination skills.
• Need quiet to learn.

Auditory learners:

• Enjoy listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts.
• Talk and repeat … a lot!
• Have a good memory for things they have heard.
• Get distracted easily by background noise.

Kinesthetic learners:

• Enjoy physical activities such as sports, dance, or playing instruments.
• Struggle to sit still for long periods of time.
• Learn best by doing things themselves rather than watching or listening.

Children can and do learn using multiple methods, but part of the wonderful benefit of homeschooling is getting to witness firsthand how your child learns best – and helping them learn to create the atmosphere for learning that fits them best. Once you have identified your child's learning style, you can help them keep the joy of learning by giving them the learning tools to fit their styles. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Know your own learning style, and help your children recognize theirs.

Think about the ways you learn best, so you can easily see when you are trying to teach from your preferred style – when it might be very different from your child’s. Have a discussion about learning styles, and ask them what they like best. When everyone knows what they need, there is less friction and frustration in your homeschool. Visual learners can give grace to the auditory learners who may too much noise, and kinesthetic learners can love their visual learning sibling by calming their bodies for reading time. Learning style discovery not only enhances the fun of learning, but also builds grace and character!

2. Create a learning environment that suits their learning style.

For visual learners, create a visually stimulating environment with bright colors, pictures, and posters. For auditory learners, minimize background noise and provide recordings or podcasts. For kinesthetic learners, provide plenty of opportunities for movement and hands-on activities. Taking time to be outside in God’s nature is a great way to stimulate learning for all three learner types.

3. Emphasize course elements and supplements that suit your child’s learning style.

For visual learners, use visual aids such as diagrams, videos, and pictures. For auditory learners, use recordings, music, or discussions. For kinesthetic learners, use hands-on activities, experiments, and games. Consider incorporating elements from more than one learning style to help your children grow in creativity and focus.

4. Tailor your guidance to their learning style.

For visual learners, explain concepts using visual aids. Ask them to take notes and draw diagrams. For auditory learners, have discussions and debates. Ask them to repeat back what they have learned, and use music or songs to help them remember key points. For kinesthetic learners, allow them to move around while learning. Use physical props or objects to demonstrate concepts, and incorporate physical movement into their lessons.

5. Be patient and understanding.

It is important to understand that every child learns differently and may need more time to process information, depending on their learning style. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit and brings peace to your homeschool adventure. Provide plenty of opportunities for practice and repetition. For particularly difficult information, consider using a mixture of methods, which may allow your child to see the topic differently.

6. Experiment with different methods.

If one method is not working for your child, try experimenting with different teaching methods until you find what works best for them. That’s the beauty of homeschooling. It’s on your time, in the way that works best for each member of your family. Be open to feedback from your child and adjust accordingly.


As you can see, when you build your homeschool around identifying each family member’s learning style, you can tailor their education to suit their needs. Then your homeschool becomes a fruitful environment where education is fun and learning lasts a lifetime. God has given a learning style to each child under your loving care, and you can create a more engaging and effective learning environment for your child when you get to know how they learn. Remember to be patient and open to experimentation, and most importantly, have fun learning together!