Understanding the Different Types of Daycare Learners

Children learn in different ways. Some children can easily achieve a task simply by following instructions. However, there are some that do better by watching others do it whilst others need to do it themselves.

There are 3 main types of learners. The auditory learner, the visual learner and the kinetic learner.

Auditory Learner
An auditory learner learns best through listening. They are the ones in class to enjoy listening to the teacher tell a story. They derive knowledge and meaning by listening to the teacher talk about the topic or participate in discussions, with a small or large group, about the topic.

A daycare teacher can help them to learn better by playing music, without words, in the background.

Visual Learner
A visual learner learns best through seeing. They are the ones who examine the pictures in the story book during a story session. They derive knowledge and meaning by seeing the content, either in word or graphical format or watching a demonstration.

A daycare teacher can help them to learn better by presenting the content in a graph, picture, diagram or video. By providing them with a point of reference, they are able to picture things better.

Kinesthetic Learner
A kinesthetic learner learns best through a hands-on approach. They are the one who are easily distracted and find it hard to sit still for long periods of time during storytelling. They need to be constantly on the move. They derive knowledge and meaning by moving, doing or touching the object.

As these children are usually full of energy, a daycare teacher can help them to learn better by enabling them to explore the content, either via field trips or physically manipulate an object related to the content.

Role of a Daycare Teacher
So what does that mean for a daycare teacher? Should the daycare teacher involve all three elements of learning styles in their teaching? That is, enable to child to be able to touch, see and “feel” the content. The answer is no.

The daycare teacher should focus on the content’s best mode of delivery rather than the child’s, unless it is one to one. Therefore, it is imperative that the teacher think carefully which mode of presentation, be it auditory, visual or kinesthetic, will help the children understand the content best.