Parenting a Kinetic Learner
Kinetic or kinesthetic learners learn best by moving and doing. They are hands-on learners that focus on textures and motion. When asked what they think of when they hear a word like "dog," they may respond that they first think of the feel of the dog's fur. Although nearly half of a school's students may be kinetic learners, such students may struggle learning in the traditional classroom.
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Manipulatives
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Kinetic learners should use their hands as much as possible to learn concepts. To learn spelling, for instance, have students write out words and use blocks. To learn how a volcano erupts, they should create one. Provide manipulatives like clay so children can create models to help them understand concepts like the layout of the solar system. Write words or ideas on paper or index cards the child can move about to illustrate story plots and other kinds of relationships.
Activities
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Find other ways to get your child actively involved to best learn concepts. Suggest cutting pictures from old magazines and pasting them in a notebook to teach colors, shapes or even more sophisticated concepts like geography. Act out a story like a play to help children understand plot and character. Using crayons or colored pencils helps cement understanding of categorizing animals, for instance. Allow children to move about the room while working on homework; it helps them concentrate better than sitting still.
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Vocabulary
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Learning vocabulary may pose a particular problem for kinesthetic learners. Instruction usually occurs in reading or listening activities for which the kinetic child has little patience. Demonstrating ideas is more appropriate for these learners. Parents can ask children to act out ideas. Learning sign language allows them to use muscles. A less complicated method is to have them draw letters (or numbers) in the air using their entire arm to help establish ideas more clearly for the kinetic learner.
Behavior
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Kinetic learners sometimes appear to be troublemakers in school and even at home since they have difficulty sitting still. Parents must remember that such children do not intend to cause problems but simply feel better by being constantly in motion, whether it is by tapping feet or pacing while thinking. Although often tagged as "hyperactive" or ADHD, kinetic learners simply learn best by incorporating movement into activities and may not have physical or learning problems.
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References
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