Learning Styles

What are the long-term goals you have for your child? The purpose of education is to create a well-rounded adult who will be a productive member of society. Book skills alone will not produce this. Your child will need to develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, communication skills, empathy, creativity, and resourcefulness. Real-life experiences, and the ability to learn from them, are paramount for real-life success.

Another thing to consider is, what are your child’s interests and aptitudes? Keep these in mind as you educate him. Not every child needs to go to college, get an advanced degree, and work a high-paying desk job in order to be successful. Allow your child to explore his interests, and encourage him to pursue his own life goals.

Start with determining how your child learns best. What information does he typically remember, and how? Find materials that cater to that learning style. There are many different learning styles, but the three major ones are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. All of us can learn in all of these ways, but we usually have a dominant style that we’re stronger in. Play to your child’s strengths, especially at younger ages, but also expose him to experiences in the other types of learning. One of the joys of homeschooling is that you can change things that you don’t like or don’t work for you. Be flexible!