Do all children learn the same way, or does each child have an individual learning style? This question has been debated since adults first attempted to teach those between the ages of 6 and 12.

Teachers who disagree on how children learn may still believe that all children learn the same way. For example, some adults believe that all children learn the same way—by being rewarded for memorizing or spitting back what the teacher tells them. Others disagree with this, saying that simply repeating or giving a correct answer is not learning. They call this pseudolearning or “false” learning because a child may not understand what she has memorized. However, the same people who criticize pseudolearning often believe that all children learn in the same way. They believe all children construct their own knowledge inside their heads by interacting with others and materials. These teachers believe that all children make connections with what they already know, and, thus, all children learn the same way.

Other instructors and parents think differently. They believe that all children are unique and learn in different ways. Each and every child has his or her own unique learning style or preference. We can talk about learning styles or preferences in at least five ways. These include preferences for (1) the environment, (2) how they take in the information, (3) whether they want to work alone or with others, (4) the time of day they learn, and (5) movement.

The environment. A husband and wife team, Kenneth and Rhita Dunn, have researched students’ preferences for certain environments. They focused on four variables: bright versus soft lighting, formal versus informal seating, cool versus warm temperatures, and the need for some quiet versus sound.

Think about your own preferences. These preferences are individual. Some of us like bright lights and informal seating or warm temperature and some music in the background. Generally, younger children prefer less light, and boys like informal seating, but it is hard to generalize since each person has unique preferences. (For more information see Rita Dunn, Jeffrey S. Beaudry, and Angela Klavas, “Survey of Research on Learning Styles” Educational Leadership, March 1989.)

How they take in information. We all take in information through our senses, but children also have distinct preferences for receiving information. We learn through our eyes, ears, and through movement and touch. The fancy names for these terms are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. American children are strongly encouraged to focus on visual learning. This is quite noticeable in how we teach children and in the popular culture at large. For example, reading is highly encouraged and considered to be part of the three Rs which are the basics of education.

Children can hardly listen to anything today without some visual aide being provided. Hit songs now have accompanying videos, seen frequently on television. Even many worship services are enhanced with video clips or PowerPoint presentations.

This not only involves preferences, but children actually have strengths in one or more senses when learning. Consider the following true story. Jerry was musically talented and took piano lessons once a week. Soon after he began taking piano, he could play almost any simple tune he had heard. His piano teacher did not like this at all. When the instructor thought Jerry was relying too much on his ear, she would scold him by saying, “You’re playing by ear again. Look at the notes!” Sometimes she would even slap his hands when she thought he was relying too much on what he had heard.

Jerry’s piano teacher should have looked at his playing by ear as a strength. This is not to say that he should not learn to play by looking at the notes. On the contrary, since this was his weakness, he did need to focus on the visual. However, the teacher could have encouraged him by saying something like this. “You know, Jerry, you have a really good ear and can play many things that you have heard. Lots of people wish they could do this too. However, you need to improve at reading the notes. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll play this piece if you will promise to look at the notes carefully and focus on them. Then you will be better at using your eyes to play the piano.” This way, the teacher could use Jerry’s strengths (listening) to help with his weakness (reading music).

Younger children often learn best when movement is involved—when they are handling objects, manipulating materials, and moving around. If you want a child to learn about an apple, then you bring one to class. Give children the opportunity to taste it, touch it, eat it, or make applesauce.

So how do you help children who have different ways of taking in information? One way is to plan for all types of learning so that all children will be reached in some way. When you are teaching a lesson, make sure you provide many visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile experiences. That way all children will benefit.

Working alone or with others. When children are asked to tell the teacher what they liked best and least about a particular lesson or activity, the instructor often gets some of the following comments. “I didn’t like working with my group.” And, “The best thing about this was working with my friends. “This is to be expected because some children prefer working alone and others like to work in pairs or groups.

Some suggestions include (1) having options of working in a group or alone, and (2) including both individual and group work during a particular session. The first option may not be appropriate if children who want to work alone are criticized or thought to be unsociable.

The time of day. Different cultures have different ideas about time. Americans work and live under the idea that first thing in the morning is the most important part of the day. If children are going to learn something, they need to learn it early. This may be true for some children, but it is not true for all children. Each individual child has a daily clock in which a certain time of day is most optimal for learning. Some children are afternoon children—not morning children.

Fortunately, many church activities are not too early or too late, so this should not be a major problem.

Movement. Some children like to sit and work; and when they are interested, they can sit for hours at a time. Many children prefer active learning where there is a lot of movement. Young children, particularly those in grades one through three, prefer lots of movement and often need it for the best learning experiences.

While most children cannot sit all the time or move all the time, an important distinction needs to be made about movement. We cannot generalize about movement without looking at what is going on in the room. When children are asked to be in a large group, the double-the-age rule may apply. What is the double-the-age rule? Children should not sit in a large group or whole class formal activity (where they are expected to sit still) for more than double their age. For example, an 8-year-old should not be expected to sit for more than 15 or 20 minutes. However, the double-the-age rule does not apply when children are working individually or in small groups. In fact, if they are absorbed in what they are doing, they need large blocks of time in which to explore and learn.

For teaching ideas, use the following resource: Teaching Children: Laying Foundations for Faith by Chris Ward, David Morrow, Anne Tonks, and James Hargrave (available by calling 1-800-458-2772).

For curriculum resources, consider the following:
Sunday School (available by calling 1-800-458-2772)
• Children Bible Foundations
• Children Family Bible Study
Discipleship Training (available by calling 1-800-458-2772)
• TeamKid
• FUNdamentals
Girls in Action^® (available by calling 1-800-968-7301)
• Aware
Children in Action^SM(available by calling 1-800-968-7301)
• Missions MATCHFILE
Children’s Choir (available by calling 1-800-458-2772)
• Children’s Choir PAK
• Music Makers PAK
• Young Musicians PAK
Royal Ambassadors (available by calling 1-800-448-8032)
• Lad Leader Edition
• Crusader Leader Edition
MissionKids (available by calling 1-800-448-8032)
• MissionKids Leader Book, Vol. 2
Day Camping (available by calling 1-800-458-2772)
• Day Camping Anytime: 10 Complete Weeks of All-Day Bible-Centered Curriculum