Do you struggle to concentrate on your studies when just reading your materials, or even watching videos or listening to someone lecture? Do you learn better when you do an activity yourself? Well, then you may just be a Kinesthetic Learner!
Every learning style has their own characteristics and strategies to help them study better. As a Kinesthetic Learner, you learn best when you do an activity yourself. Therefore, below we have listed some strategies you can try out to improve your memory and achieve more!
What is Kinesthetic Learning
As mentioned in our Which Kind Of Learner Are You article; Kinesthetic Learning, also known as Tactile Learning, is the most “hands on” learning style. These students absorb information best by doing physical activities themselves rather than listening to explanations or watching demonstrations. This means that for them to really understand something they need to touch it, feel it and move it around.
The best way to describe it would be like learning to ride a bike. Your parents could tell you in full detail how to do it or even show you how they do it. But, the only way you will fully know how to ride the bike is by getting on it and trying it out yourself!
Characteristics of a Kinesthetic Learner
There are many traits that make someone a Kinesthetic Learner. Below are the three most common characteristics to help pinpoint whether someone is one or not:
Need to move
Kinesthetic Learners have trouble sitting still, they want to get involved and move around alot. In order for them to do well they need to have that little bit of physical movement every now and then. Even if that means pacing around while reading their learning materials
Great “physical” memory
When these learners actually do the activity themselves they remember how to do it a lot better than if someone had told them how to do it. These learners tend to be great in sports such as running or swimming.
Gets distracted quickly
If someone is just standing/sitting and explaining something, these learners tend to lose interest quickly and get distracted. To keep their attention they would need some movement or some props involved in the lesson.
Strengths of a Kinesthetic Learner
Although it may seem like Kinesthetic Learners require more work than the average Auditory or Visual Learner, they do have strengths of their own. Their strengths include:
- Great hand-eye coordination
- Quick reactions
- Good at sports
- Perform well in arts and drama
- Very energetic
- Excellent motor memory
Study Strategies
There are more and more strategies being introduced for Kinesthetic Learners to keep things exciting and their minds sharp. Some of the most common strategies include:
- Flash Cards
- Role Play
- Regular Breaks
- Visuals
Flash Cards
Flash cards are one of the most popular learning strategies out there, no matter what your learning style is. They generally involve writing questions on one side of a card and then writing the answers to questions or drawing pictures on the other side of the card.
Role Play
Due to Kinesthetic Learning being a very hands-on learning style, it may be a good idea to get involved with other learners. Maybe do a bit of role playing, act out the scenarios or try to apply the lessons to your own life to understand it better.
Regular Breaks
When studying for long periods of time, Kinesthetic Learners tend to lose focus and interest. Therefore, it is important to take regular breaks in between. Exercise in those intervals could be a good idea to get that movement going in order to gain focus again.
Visuals
Creating visuals may be beneficial to you as a Kinesthetic Learner when it comes to studying. Drawing diagrams, mind maps or charts could be very useful by helping you absorb the information better than just simply reading paragraphs or listening to someone speak.
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Author: Kayla Preston
Date Published: 12 October 2020