When did you know what kind of learner you had?

[AFWife]

My son is only 13 months. Already, though, I can sense that he's not going to be a "sit and learn" kind of kid. He's always busy and on the move. He doesn't sit for more than a page of a book (2 if it's a board book). I have a feeling I'm going to have to "trick" him into learning. (like, through games and whatnot...more unschooling style, not "formal" homeschooling)


Could I be wrong? When did you know?

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by AFWife

My son is only 13 months. Already, though, I can sense that he's not going to be a "sit and learn" kind of kid. He's always busy and on the move. He doesn't sit for more than a page of a book (2 if it's a board book). I have a feeling I'm going to have to "trick" him into learning. (like, through games and whatnot...more unschooling style, not "formal" homeschooling)


Could I be wrong? When did you know?

I think it's too young to tell at that age. I have an 18 month old who is extremely active and busy and needs plenty of interaction. BUT she can also sit for at least a half an hour while I read to her. I have no idea what kind of learner she is going to be.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by kgianforti

I think it's too young to tell at that age. I have an 18 month old who is extremely active and busy and needs plenty of interaction. BUT she can also sit for at least a half an hour while I read to her. I have no idea what kind of learner she is going to be.

I've talked to my parents and they said that early on (around this age) I was able to just SIT and enjoy a quiet activity...that's what makes me wonder...

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by AFWife

I've talked to my parents and they said that early on (around this age) I was able to just SIT and enjoy a quiet activity...that's what makes me wonder...

My small girl can too depending on the activity. If I need to get something done, I put on Dora and she will sit and watch the whole show. Or my reading example, I'm not sure how long she'll sit because I break up reading sessions into 30 minute increments. When my big girl does some craft activities, my small girl will work along with her. But other times, she's just tearing around the house. It depends on what she wants to do, I guess!

[LuxPerpetua]

I think it's way too early to tell.

[Stacey B]

My ds wouldn't let me read to him until he was almost two now at almost four we can read five or six books at a time. As he gets older he'll get interested in certain things (we're into maps right now) that's where the learning will happen because he will want to know more about ____.

[sbgrace]

I think he's way too young to tell. I don't know when I knew in our case. But in time it became obvious that one child was sequential (step by step) and auditory in the way he processed information. His twin was (is) harder to figure out. He's not at all sequential--that was easy. I'm not sure his primary mode of information intake but I suspect visual. None of that was at all obvious at the age of your son. And many, many kids (especially boys) aren't going to sit long for a book at his age. I don't think it means anything about where they will be at five or six and especially as you head toward seven or eight (when, imo, formal instruction is more appropriate developmentally). I remember reading somewhere that all young kids (especially boys) are kinesthetic learners. I don't think all is possible or accurate but I do think little kids in general take the world in through kinesthetic means at young ages. That's what you're describing.

[tanyalynn]

My kids are 4 and 6 and I'm not sure how much I've got nailed down about how they learn.

[Momma Aimee]

i onder this too

my oldest is 4.5. He is a tad delayed and SN.

I kno he is ALL BOY boy -- active and no fear ... he also sits to read for 45 + minutes at a time. but no other time .. eat, anything else .. nope ...

i kno he is likly too yong to really have a clue ... but ?? when should i be able to "see" his learning styly? when does it stop being "jsut a little boy, alays active" and become a more physical learner?

[moominmamma]

Honestly, I think it evolves throughout childhood and there's a danger in pigeon-holing kids. Once you've settled on your kid being whatever learning style, you're likely to want to cater to those strengths, and miss opportunities to develop the less preferred learning styles -- which might have ended up being real strengths.

My 13yo ds I would have pegged as visual as a 5-year-old but he's far more auditory in the past few years than I would have guessed. My 16yo has very strong musical and auditory affinities and is a gifted musician who was fairly late learning to sight-read music, but has ended up having a highly visual learning style. Go figure.

Miranda