This week, the Homeschool Village asks us to share:
1. what is your child's learning style and/or
2. What is your child's love language.
Feel free to share any resources that helped you along this path.
I know there are books out there that help you determine your child’s learning style. I confess, I haven’t read them. I bought, and attempted to read The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias, but I really didn’t get much out of it.
I think that, here at our house, I can determine how my child learns best simply by working with her on a daily basis. For example, when Ashley was younger, her attention span wasn’t very long; so I learned quickly that she needed visual aids to help hold her attention. Gracie’s not like that – she could work from a plain old b&w resource with no illustrations and be perfectly fine. Funny thing is, you’d expect Gracie to be the one with the imagination then, wouldn’t you? And she’s not! Ashley’s my imaginative writer, while Gracie’s strengths lie more in the area of math.
Ian is so busy that I often joke that I won’t know how to hold him down to school him. We may have to learn things doing jumping jacks, etc. Like Gracie, he’s a very quick learner. He picks things up in day-to-day life that we aren’t even aware of. For example, so far the only alphabet letter he’s worked on writing is capital A. He can write his name (IAN, in all caps). On Sunday in church he was sitting with my mom and very clearly wrote the word “TOY”. He knows this says “toy” because of the Toy Story movies. Who knew he could write the letters, though?
I see these qualities in him and know that I need to spend more time working with him this year. But, I also find it neat that, no matter the environment, he is learning and taking in much more than I could ever teach him from a book.
As for Love Languages, we have and have read Gary Chapman’s book on love languages for adults, but I have not read the version on children. I’m assuming, though, that it’s much the same. That being said, Ian’s love language (at this point) is definitely physical touch. Gracie’s would be, I think, words of affirmation or quality time. Ashley’s I’m not 100% sure about. Teenagers change so much from day to day that, depending on the day or her mood, she could fall into any of the 5!
To read what others have to say about this topic, click the button at the top of this post to go to The HomeSchool Village.
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing Heidi - I love that you wrote, "learning and taking in much more than I could ever teach him from a book". SO TRUE!
Thanks for linking up this week!!
Stef
the hsv
Heidi, I agree with you :-) Bridgette is probably more like Ashley - she is very visual and EXTREMELY imaginative!
I also agree with the love language thing and being a teenager...with Bridge it could be any of the 5 on any given day...and I probably miss the mark far too often when trying to discerning which one on which day (not that I'm necessarily thinking about it consciously).
I can understand Gracie being good with math if she is fine with plain black and white text...it's logical, cut & dry...with math it is what it is.
When we first started homeschooling, I did read The Way They Learn...but it was too early in our homeschooling for me to make a determination with Bridgette at the time. Instead my husband and I were seeing ourselves (and laughing a lot at the irony!) in the different categories. I've been meaning to go back through it again, but just haven't taken the time. At this point I may not, as I've pretty much figured her out over the years just from observation and trial & error.
Thank you for sharing Ms. Heidi!! I am always amazed how my children are so different!! Yes, I agree with teenagers...like babies they need all FIVE! LOL! ;)
love this topic. have read love languages and the tobias book. i generally 'got' the concept though also and not so sure i need a book. and i'm not so sure there are 3 neat little categories LOL! it's more of a continuum.
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