Tactile learners have the world at their fingertips, and that’s just the way they like it. They poke and prod, maneuver, knead and generally interact with whatever they are learning in the most physical way possible. Think about it, they have been doing it all their lives. As infants, they learned their first lessons about the concepts of love and caring through touch. Then their developing motor skills brought objects into their clumsy fingers so that they could learn about them through touch and taste and smell. Tiny feet wiggled to make bells jingle and they began learning about cause and effect.  As they grew, they immersed themselves into the world with their whole bodies and often came out covered in mud and scratches. Don’t think that all of that movement is only about excess energy. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Kids wiggle and squirm their way to a better understanding of their environment and the skills they will need to get through life. Those with a heavy tactile lean to their learning needs often have the hardest time in a traditional learning environment. Sitting still can actually zone them out to the point where none of the new information makes it into their processing centers. This is why I am a big advocate of keeping your homeschooling environment as movement friendly as possible.

     When my youngest - who is a very tactile learner - was small, I learned that making him sit still to do his lessons was counterproductive. If we did math while he hung upside down on the couch, he got the concept right away. If he was sitting with his feet on the floor and his pencil in his hand, we were doomed. He tells me that now he typically does math by visualizing the problem in his minds eye and using his pencil as a magic wand to break it into smaller parts, manipulate the numbers to their proper places, and work his way to the solution. In his opinion, writing the problem on paper turns it into a visual issue that is harder to work. I will be the first to admit that if I were to try math his way, my brain would simply shut down. It works for him though, and that’s all that matters.

     This week, why not let your fingers do the walking toward some new learning experiences? Try these on for size:

1) K’nex are our favorite building toy. Basically they are a set of clips and rods that interlock in a variety of ways to give you huge options for building. My youngest went through a multi-month stage of building and perfecting a variety of rubber band guns with these little marvels. He explored critical thinking skills, research and development tactics, angles, levers, and all sorts of other skills and subjects all before his 10th birthday.

2) Identify and add coins while blindfolded to see how good you can get! Each coin has a different size and texture. Can you sort them into separate piles of the same coin? What about adding them just by how they feel? This will even come in handy at the store since you’ll be able to identify the correct change while it’s still in your pocket!

3) Build a house of cards! If you really want to do some heavy exploring into science and math, this is a fun way to start. You get to experience angles, shapes, structure and weight limits, air flow and its effects, seismic activity and much more. PLUS, you get an exceptionally good lesson in patience!

     For those students who learn well by hearing directions, most of their understanding comes from in-class lectures on material and discussion groups. A lot of auditory learners benefit from work spaces that allow them to talk their way through material that is presented in other forms. Auditory learners tend to read out loud. They figure out problems by talking their way through the situation to a solution. They are also very good at picking up tone and understanding how a speaker feels about the topic they are discussing. I have even known auditory learners who find quiet environments so distracting that they wear headphones while reading through material in order to let it sink in. In other words, auditory learners LOVE sound!

     This week, why not try learning something just through your ears? Here are a few ideas for you to try:

1) Borrow an audio book from the library. Try to make it one that is a little above your reading level. After listening to the story, see if you can remember the plot better than if you had curled up with the book.

2) Learn a few phrases in a foreign language from an audio course. There are many to choose from, and libraries often have these on hand as well. If it works out well for you, this might be a great new extra curricular subject to add to your day.

3) Find an educational program on TV that interests you. Now, put a blanket over the TV so you can’t see the picture. You’ll be “watching” the program through your ears instead of your eyes. How was the experience the same? How was it different?

4) Do you have a project that you are working on? Plan it out ONLY by talking through it. Don’t write your directions down. Don’t draw pictures. Don’t pick up the pieces first. Just talk yourself through each step in the process. When you are done, see if you can complete your project without running into problems caused by forgetting steps or getting them out of order. Feel free to talk through each step as you work.

5) There are studies showing that listening to classical music while doing math can improve a person’s ability to understand math concepts. For the next week, put classical music on during math time. Look over your scores at the end of the week. Do they seem better? Did the music help you learn the necessary skills easier?