Different Learning Styles

People are different and have different ways of learning. Do you know what type of learner your child is? Read below to see what learning style he/she is most comfortable with. Knowing how your child learns best can help you modify how you do homework together and learn at home. It's a great way to help your child be the best he/she can be!

Learning Styles:

Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study.

Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities.

Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.

Homework Tips for Each Learning Style

Auditory learners are typically good at absorbing information from spoken words. Strategies that work well for auditory learners include:

• Talking to themselves or with others about what they’re learning
• Reciting important information aloud, perhaps recording it and playing it back
• Reading a book and listening to the audio book at the same time
• Using word associations
• Setting information to a tune and singing it to help remember it
• Limiting distracting noises

Kinesthetic learners prefer to be active while studying and may not be able to focus while sitting still. Strategies for kinesthetic learners include:

• Reading aloud and tracking words on a page with a finger
• Writing things down multiple times to commit them to memory
• Highlighting and underlining
• Playing with a stress ball or toy while studying
• Moving around or taking frequent breaks
• Doing hands-on activities, such as building models or playing games

Visual learners benefit from seeing information on a chalkboard or in an illustration and may grow impatient listening for long periods of time. Strategies for visual learners include:

• Using flash cards
• Studying charts, tables, and maps
• Drawing illustrations
• Writing things down and reviewing notes
• Highlighting and underlining
• Color-coding information

Learning style information and homework help gotten from: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/826-what-is-your-childs-learning-style

Environmental Print

Environmental Print is all around us. It's the signs you see while driving. It's the name of the cereal or candy bar printed on the label. Environmental Print is POWERFUL!!! Use it to help teach your child to read. This week, we're studying letter A. Where can your child find the letter A? Albertson's, Arby's, on a one wAy sign, and so much more! Do you sell Avon? Go on a Letter A hunt as you drive or even in your house. You'd be surprised to see what you could find. Talk about where the letter A is in the word. Is it first, in the middle, or last? Does it have a short a sound like in Albertson's? Just helping your child notice the letters and words around him/her a few minutes a day can help him/her become a great reader! Your child will thank you for investing in his/her future!

Meal Time

Does your family realize how important meal time is? Sitting down and eating dinner together makes a huge difference in your child's life! Eating dinner together without TV & cell phone interruptions gives your family a chance to connect with each other. It sends a message to your child that you value him or her. Studies show that families who eat together have children who get along better with others and even do better academically!

Take the time to make meals family time. What have you got to lose? What wonderful memories and conversations will you gain?

Weather

We have been learning a lot about the weather! We have been comparing our weather to Disneyland's and the White House's weather. Our class loves to know which city is the hottest! Perhaps you have a relative that lives in a different climate than we do. Maybe your family could compare weather with that city? It's a fun way to reinforce learning about the weather, use mathematical concepts (temperature, reading and comparing numbers, social studies (geographical locations), and language (hotter, colder, cloudy, foggy, etc...). That would be something neat to do on Saturdays. What do you think?