With or without ADHD, every child learns differently.
You may have already noticed this among your kids - one child might prefer working with his hands, but another child learns better by reading books.
Knowing your child's learning style is one of the ways you can help him or her succeed at school despite the limitations of ADHD.
Why? A learning style describes how a child takes in and processes information, as well as the best way to teach this particular child.
Conversely, conflicting learning styles and teaching styles will only lead to frustration, low self-esteem, and increased chances of repeating a year or dropping out of school entirely.
Find out your child's learning style We all use our senses to learn about the world around us, and the three learning styles tells us which sense we use more.
These are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
Auditory learners learn best by listening to verbal explanations or talking.
Visual learners pick up concepts faster when they observe or read.
Kinesthetic learners, on the other hand, require a hands-on approach to learning.
To discover what your child's learning style is, you can ask the school counselor to give your child a test called the learning style inventory.
This test involves a series of questions such as: 1) Do you like reading books more than playing sports? 2) Would you rather listen to a story being told instead of reading it? 3) Do you fidget with your hands? 4) Do you need explanations for graphs, maps, or diagrams? 5) Do you enjoy building things? Auditory learners If your child is an auditory learner, a digital recorder will make the perfect school companion.
Your child can use this to record homework assignments, lectures, and or as a study tool.
Ask your child to read out notes or facts into the recorder as though he or she is a sports announcer or DJ - this will make study time feel more engaging and interesting.
You can also have your child recite facts like a multiplication tape to the melody of a favorite song.
If he or she needs to read a novel for a book report, see if you can find an audio recording of the text online or at the library.
Visual learners Visual learners are a little easier to accommodate.
Ask your child to keep a homework notebook to make note of assignments and deadlines.
While studying, use drawing, flash cards, diagrams, or ask your child to write down notes using pens in varying colors and sizes.
At home, you can reinforce daily routines with a written schedule and a list of chores or instructions.
Kinesthetic learners Kinesthetic learners might be the most fidgety of the bunch because they learn better when they move.
Let your child fidget during study time, as these movements actually help them concentrate and focus better.
Use physical objects to explain certain concepts; for instance, add or subtract jelly beans for math or spell words out with Scrabble tiles.
Provide your child with hands-on experiences like science experiments or nature hikes, and explore the use of various techniques like molding clay or dioramas.
You may have already noticed this among your kids - one child might prefer working with his hands, but another child learns better by reading books.
Knowing your child's learning style is one of the ways you can help him or her succeed at school despite the limitations of ADHD.
Why? A learning style describes how a child takes in and processes information, as well as the best way to teach this particular child.
Conversely, conflicting learning styles and teaching styles will only lead to frustration, low self-esteem, and increased chances of repeating a year or dropping out of school entirely.
Find out your child's learning style We all use our senses to learn about the world around us, and the three learning styles tells us which sense we use more.
These are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
Auditory learners learn best by listening to verbal explanations or talking.
Visual learners pick up concepts faster when they observe or read.
Kinesthetic learners, on the other hand, require a hands-on approach to learning.
To discover what your child's learning style is, you can ask the school counselor to give your child a test called the learning style inventory.
This test involves a series of questions such as: 1) Do you like reading books more than playing sports? 2) Would you rather listen to a story being told instead of reading it? 3) Do you fidget with your hands? 4) Do you need explanations for graphs, maps, or diagrams? 5) Do you enjoy building things? Auditory learners If your child is an auditory learner, a digital recorder will make the perfect school companion.
Your child can use this to record homework assignments, lectures, and or as a study tool.
Ask your child to read out notes or facts into the recorder as though he or she is a sports announcer or DJ - this will make study time feel more engaging and interesting.
You can also have your child recite facts like a multiplication tape to the melody of a favorite song.
If he or she needs to read a novel for a book report, see if you can find an audio recording of the text online or at the library.
Visual learners Visual learners are a little easier to accommodate.
Ask your child to keep a homework notebook to make note of assignments and deadlines.
While studying, use drawing, flash cards, diagrams, or ask your child to write down notes using pens in varying colors and sizes.
At home, you can reinforce daily routines with a written schedule and a list of chores or instructions.
Kinesthetic learners Kinesthetic learners might be the most fidgety of the bunch because they learn better when they move.
Let your child fidget during study time, as these movements actually help them concentrate and focus better.
Use physical objects to explain certain concepts; for instance, add or subtract jelly beans for math or spell words out with Scrabble tiles.
Provide your child with hands-on experiences like science experiments or nature hikes, and explore the use of various techniques like molding clay or dioramas.
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