How to know if your kid is a tactile learner
The digital world has created many new ways for kids to learn. There is everything from new apps to games and computer programs. These tools are making the opportunities seem endless for families. However, not all kids learn in the same manner. Some are visual learners while others learn from a hands on approach. Known as tactile learning, “learning by doing” through a hands-on approach.
How do you know if your child learns in a tactile style?ThoughtCo (a large, online educational resource) has identified the list below of common behaviors, shared by kids who learn primarily in a tactile style.
Tactile Learner Behaviors:
- Good at sports
- Can’t sit still for long
- Is not great at spelling
- Does not have great handwriting
- Likes science lab
- Studies with loud music on
- Likes adventure books, movies
- Likes role playing
- Takes breaks when studying
- Builds models
- Is involved in martial arts, dance
- Is fidgety during school
If you have a child who learns in a tactile style, get a few classmates together so each motivates the other to study. Some of the best tools for a tactile learner includes memory games, flashcards, museum field trips, and travel. This type of group learning can be very productive, and enjoyable. The process is collaborative and active.
Some beneficial ways to support your kids at home is studying in small blocks of time (no pun intended), and study groups. Learning to write, and to spell are essential skills children need for reading. Wood blocks like our Block Party Craft Kit, are great for building these skills. They’re both a tactile, and visual learning tool which helps encourage a variety of skills. Six sided, blank, wood blocks give a child a chance to form letters, sounds, and words. Writing letters on blocks aids in the development of fine motor skills. Once letters have been written and combined to form words, the action of sounding out words becomes possible. Building up their writing, and reading skills. These are all early stages of learning to read.
Another use for wood blocks is the creation of a game or a puzzle. Games like Tic-Tac-Toe teach strategic thinking. First, the child needs to create the playing board by drawing a series of X’s and O’s. The object is to get three X’s or O’s in a row, and the strategy is to keep the opponent from achieving this. Strategic thinking is an important skill set helpful for effectively planning, thinking ahead, and analyzing potential outcomes.
The creation of a wood block puzzle not only challenges a child’s fine motor skills by drawing a design, it encourages memory, and sorting skills needed to put the puzzle together. With six blank sides per woodblock, there are endless creative learning possibilities.
Wood blocks create opportunities for kids to develop a variety of skills. At the same time, they are simple, screen free, and encourage an active mind. Wood is a sustainable material, and good for the earth. Playing with wood blocks is one more way to get back to basics, and get away from technological, and all that is abstract.