Try this experiment. Verbally list ten random items (pen, baseball cap, coin, apple, etc.) Then have a child repeat them back to you. Now, with the same items, show the item as well as saying it’s name. How many items can the child repeat back to you now? Lastly, have the child pick up each item and use it. (Bite the apple, write with the pen, wear the cap, flip the coin). Now how will they do? Experts will tell you these three methods stimulate the three different types of learners. Common sense will tell you the more exposure, the better!
Auditory learners hear. They process information best when it is explained to them verbally. Visual learners see. They comprehend and remember the sights their eyes take in, be it a prop, a picture in a slide, or charts and graphs. Kinesthetic learners touch. They are all in for “hand-on.” They might have a hard time sitting still, but touching, feeling, and manipulating an object will keep their attention.
Any time you teach a group, you are bound to have all three types of learners in your audience. Present your lesson or small group in a way that appeals to all types of learners. The younger a student is, the more reliant he is on one style. As he matures, he should start to use a combination of the styles to process information. By telling, showing, and inviting kids to a hands-on experience, you help all your listeners to process the information easier and you give them the tools to retain it longer. As a side benefit, you will also help expand kids’ capacity for using the other styles, which can only help them in their life-long venture of learning.
Each KidzLife lesson and small group is written keeping all the styles in mind. We seek to grab the attention of all of our young participants and trigger the learning mechanism that will make God’s truth stick for a lifetime.