Learning Styles of Children 3 - Tactile/Kinesthetic

Children with this learning style are movers and grabbers. They are active to the point of being restless and fidgety if you try to get them to sit still. They like to interact with their world. They learn best when they are moving; not just random movement, but movement that relates to the subject they are studying. They are very good at performing, and enjoy acting out songs and stories.

Skills include:

dancing

physical coordination

athletic ability

hands on experimentation

using body language

crafts

acting and miming

using their hands to create or build

expressing emotions through the body

Both Montessori and homeschooling environments can work well for this type of learner. “Purposeful movement” can be encouraged; the child has the freedom to move around as needed during the day. Children with this learning style will be delighted to touch, feel, and experience the world as much as possible. They love to dance, climb, run, and generally move as much as possible.

I remember vividly one little boy in a 3-6 preschool Montessori class where I was an assistant. He was very bright but very active and found it difficult to concentrate. Our directress told him that anytime he wanted, he could go outside and run around the playground. (The windows of our classroom overlooked the playground, which was completely fenced in).

Once or twice a morning, he would go over to her and tell her that he wanted to run. He would go outside and we would watch him run joyfully around a few times. When he came back to the room, he was ready to work. It was really interesting to observe.

It should almost go without saying that when you see a very active child deep in concentration, nothing should happen to break that concentration. Let them work as long as possible with no interruptions. It might not happen very often, but it should be nurtured when it does!