Welcome, fellow homeschooling parent. When you first start on this incredible journey, or even if you’ve been on it for a while, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There are so many options, so many voices, and so many ways to approach each day. You might wonder if you’re doing enough, or if you’re doing it the “right” way. I want you to know that those feelings are completely normal. The beauty of homeschooling is that there isn’t one “right” way. It’s about finding what works for your unique family, and a huge part of that is understanding your child as an individual.
One of the most powerful tools you have in your homeschool toolkit is understanding your child’s learning styles. This isn’t about fitting them into a rigid box, but rather about observing how they naturally engage with the world and using that insight to make learning a joyful, effortless experience. When you honor the way your child learns best, you’re not just making things easier for them; you’re building their confidence and fostering a lifelong love of discovery.
What Exactly Are Learning Styles?
Think of learning styles as paying attention to how your child naturally takes in new information and makes sense of it. It’s like a preference for how they learn best. Some people learn by doing, others by seeing, and still others by listening. These styles are a general guide, not a strict rulebook. A child might have a primary style but use elements from others, and their preferences can even shift over time. The most important thing is to be an observant parent and see what makes their eyes light up with understanding.
The Kinesthetic Learner: The "Doer"
Do you have a child who just can’t sit still? One who learns best when their hands are busy, or they’re moving their body? You may be homeschooling a kinesthetic learner. These children thrive on hands-on experiences. They understand concepts not just by reading about them, but by feeling them, building them, and acting them out.
- Practical Suggestions: Instead of just reading about a historical event, have them build a model of a famous building or act out the scene. When learning about fractions, have them bake a cake and measure the ingredients. Use building blocks to explain mathematical concepts, or go for a nature walk to collect items to study biology. The key is to get them physically involved in the learning process.
- Relatable Scenario: Your child is struggling to remember the parts of a plant. Instead of just looking at a diagram, you go outside together and find a flower. They carefully pull it apart, touching the petals, the stem, and the roots, and suddenly the lesson clicks into place. This is kinesthetic learning in action.
Try combining on-screen lessons with a real-world task like planting seeds after a biology module on the Learning Hub!
The Visual Learner: The "Seer"
Some children absorb information like a sponge when they can see it. These are your visual learner homeschooling students. They often love books with pictures, draw diagrams to explain their thoughts, and remember things better when they can see them written down or represented graphically.
- Practical Suggestions: Use colorful charts, maps, and illustrations. Encourage them to draw pictures to summarize stories or concepts. Whiteboards and markers can be a visual learner’s best friend. Mind maps are a fantastic tool for organizing ideas, and watching documentaries or educational videos can be incredibly effective.
- Uplifting Encouragement: If you have a child who doodles in the margins of their notebook, don’t see it as a distraction. It might be their brain’s way of processing and remembering information. Encourage this creativity. Their artistic flair is a powerful tool for learning.
Did you know? You can use our highlight and visual playback tools to help your child track along with key ideas. Try it today!
The Auditory Learner: The "Listener"
Does your child love being read to, remember things they hear in songs, or learn a new language with a great accent just by listening? You likely have an auditory learner homeschooling with you. These children understand the world through sound and speech. They often learn best through discussions, lectures, and listening to audiobooks.
- Practical Suggestions: Read lessons aloud, or use audiobooks as a primary way of consuming stories and information. Encourage them to explain concepts back to you in their own words. Turn lessons into songs or rhymes. Discussions around the dinner table can be a powerful learning tool. For older children, listening to podcasts on historical events or scientific topics can be a great way to engage them.
- Validation and Reassurance: It’s okay if your child seems to just sit and listen without taking many notes. Their brain is processing the information differently. Trust that they are taking it all in through their ears.
The Learning Hub has built-in text-to-speech feature lets students listen to content at their own pace. Try it now!
A Blended Approach: Most Children Are a Mix!
It’s important to remember that most people are not purely one type of learner. Many children are a combination, and that’s perfectly normal. This is why a diverse and varied approach is often so successful in homeschooling. Mixing activities and resources allows you to cater to different learning styles and keep things fresh and interesting.
If you’re new to this homeschooling gig or you’ve been around for a while, you may not know where to start. When you enter into the world of homeschooling, you probably quickly realize there are many opinions of how to homeschool your children, and everyone wants to give them to you! For a comprehensive overview, you can check out a blog post that explores the diverse landscapes of homeschooling to view the philosophies and practicalities that shape learning for many homeschool families. The article, many homeschooling styles and methods, offers a wealth of information to help you understand the many types of homeschooling there are, from classical and unschooling to eclectic blends.
Discovering your children’s learning styles can also help you narrow down your curriculum options. This is a great way to set yourself and your children up for a successful and enjoyable school year. To be perfectly honest, it’s possible that you’ll change curriculum several times in the first few years of homeschooling, and that’s okay! But it’s also possible that you’ll find a curriculum you love and stick with it. Either way, be patient with yourself and your children and do your best to relax and enjoy your homeschool years. They really will be over before you know it! For more helpful information on how to find your child’s learning style, you can read this article from Hip Homeschool Moms.
How to Apply These Ideas in Your Homeschool
Now that you have a better understanding of homeschool learning styles, you might be thinking, “This is great, but how do I actually make it work?” This is where the flexibility and adaptability of homeschooling really shine. Your role is not to be a perfect teacher, but a facilitator of learning. You get to know your child in a way no one else can.
- Observe and Listen: Pay attention to what your child gravitates toward. Do they get excited about building a diorama? Do they ask you to read the same story over and over again? Are they captivated by a science video? These are all clues.
- Adjust Your Tools: One of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the ability to adjust on the fly. Maybe a particular book isn’t working. Instead of forcing it, try finding a video on the same topic, or an audiobook, or a hands-on project.
- Find Resources That Adapt: A great resource is one that can support different learning styles within the same family. Our platform, LearningHub.com, is designed with this in mind. It lets you adjust how students view and listen to their lessons. With the accessibility feature in each module, they can have written passages read aloud, change the voice speed, translate written lessons, highlight passages to promote focus, and define unfamiliar words. These features ensure that your child can learn in the way that makes the most sense to them.
Remember, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There is no magic formula. It is an ongoing conversation with your child and yourself. The goal is to make learning a natural and joyful part of your family life, not a chore to be checked off a list. Trust your intuition as a parent, and trust your child’s natural curiosity. You’ve got this.
Ready to explore a new way of learning that honors your child’s unique homeschool learning styles? LearningHub.com is here to support you on your journey. We invite you to create a free account at LearningHub.com and discover how our platform can help you tailor a learning experience that truly works for your family.
Imagine having access to over 15,000 online lessons that cover everything from math and science to world languages and exciting electives. With Learning Hub, you’ll find interactive lesson playlists designed to help students master specific skills, and you can even create custom playlists on any topic they love.
This is interactive online learning for K–12 students that makes the education journey unique, personalized, and fun. Join us and discover how we’re making learning not just easier, but way more engaging and exciting!
References
Hip Homeschool Moms. (n.d.). What is My Child’s Learning Style? Retrieved from https://hiphomeschoolmoms.com/what-is-my-childs-learning-style/
Homeschool Planning. (n.d.). Types of Homeschooling Styles. Retrieved from https://homeschool-planning.com/types-of-homeschooling-styles/
