Unlocking Potential: Kinesthetic Learning Strategies for Effective Education

Kinesthetic learners, also known as tactile learners, thrive when actively participating and engaging in the learning process. These learners benefit from hands-on activities and physical movement to help them understand and retain information. Often misunderstood, their need for movement is sometimes viewed as a behavior problem. The more we understand that movement IS a learning style, the more success we will have with these special learners. This article explores kinesthetic learning strategies, their benefits, and how to implement them in various educational settings.

Understanding Kinesthetic Learning

Kinesthetic learning refers to a learning style that involves whole-body movement and tactile engagement. Kinesthetic learners process information best when they are physically engaged during the learning process; they often prefer a ‘learning through doing’ approach. The VARK model defines the kinesthetic mode as leaning more towards “learning based on behavior” that incorporates the senses.

The kinesthetic learning style reflects a marked preference for tactile, hands-on learning experiences. This style is also called tactile learning or experiential learning. Kinesthetic comes from kinesthesis or kinesthesia, which is the experience of receiving information from the sense organs: touch, taste, smell, see, and hear. The difference between kinesthetic learning and auditory or visual learning is that a kinesthetic learner prefers to directly experience what they are learning about.

An early study found that 20-30% of school-age children are auditory learners, 40% visual learners, and 30-40% are tactile/kinesthetic learners. Studies reported that adult L2 immigrants and ESL students in the US favor kinesthetic styles over all others.

Benefits of Kinesthetic Learning Strategies

Regardless of learning preferences, studies show that there is a direct relationship between movement and memory and learning. Using kinesthetic learning strategies can be especially helpful in learning skills that require movement and coordination. Muscle memory allows you to complete familiar tasks or actions using motor functions without needing to think.

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Kinesthetic learning activities develop physical connections between a concept and a real, tangible thing or action. Just as manipulatives help students develop number sense, using kinesthetic learning strategies builds connections and improves memory for specific skills, especially if the students do activities multiple times.

Kinesthetic learning strategies have clear benefits for almost every kind of child. Researchers have also found that students who do not respond to traditional teaching are likely to be engaged by hands-on, activity-oriented lessons.

Movement can have many purposes within the classroom, which correlate to the benefits noted above. Movement prepares the brain for learning while simultaneously offering brain breaks during times of high stress towards academic performance. Kinesthetic activities are easy to apply to academic content and can often take the form of games, which can help review difficult concepts.

Implementing Kinesthetic Learning Strategies

Teaching kinesthetic learners requires a thoughtful and interactive approach that caters to their unique learning style. It is essential to provide a variety of teaching strategies to cater to their diverse needs. Typically, a presentation should have a presenter live or recorded (auditory), a visual such as PowerPoint or a job-related handout (visual), and an activity or a way for the learner to interact with the presentation (kinesthetic).

Hands-On Experiments and Activities

Kinesthetic learners learn best when they can engage in hands-on experiences. Incorporate experiments, simulations, and interactive activities that allow them to touch, feel, and explore concepts.

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Role-Play

Role-playing helps learners connect with the content on a deeper level and allows them to physically experience different scenarios. Role-Playing offers the viewpoint of when something is done right.

Gamify Learning

Kinesthetic learners thrive in interactive and competitive environments. Gamify learning by turning lessons into games or incorporating educational board games. This approach allows them to engage in friendly competition and challenges, making the learning experience more enjoyable and memorable. Whether it’s a quiz-style game or a physical activity-based game, incorporating elements of play can greatly enhance their learning experience. Some examples for the classroom and online are Kahoot!

Integrating Movement

To create or find a learning environment for kinesthetic learners, understand that freedom of movement is a requirement. If you want to encourage learning for your kinesthetic learner, you can’t have a bottoms-on-the-chair approach. Your top strategy for learning should be to get them up and moving and physically involved in learning.

Real-World Applications

Connect learning to real-world applications and experiences. This helps kinesthetic learners see the relevance of what they are learning and how it applies to their lives.

Practical Tips for Kinesthetic Learners

If you or your child prefers kinesthetic learning, then you learn best by actively participating in learning. You’ll often retain information and new skills best by diving into a new activity and learning as you go rather than being told how to do something first.

When you’re learning a new skill, look for ways to be physically involved. You might find it helpful to make up motions or gestures to represent vocabulary words or sequences that you have trouble remembering. Kinesthetic learners also learn best by adding a physical activity, like walking, bouncing, or fidgeting, to their study time.

Handwriting Notes: If you’re a kinesthetic learner, you may benefit from handwriting notes rather than typing or just listening.
Highlighting and Underlining: When you’re studying, highlight or underline important information.
Walking Tours: Walking tours get kids up and moving. You might arrange a walking tour as a learning activity.
Trampoline Learning: Maybe you could add a trampoline they can bounce on while reading or memorizing.
Fidget Toys and Sketch Pads: Give them a fidget toy or sketch pad to encourage focus for times when they must sit still.
Manipulatives: Using fingers.
STEM Activities: Hands-on STEM projects are great for kinesthetic learners.

Examples of Kinesthetic Learning in Action

Learning to Write: As students learn about letter shapes and motions, they generally spend time tracing letters and drawing them with their fingers. Once they begin writing, they’ll practice writing the letters to develop fine and gross motor skills.
Teaching Letter Sounds, Shapes, and Vowels: SnapWords® are designed to capture attention, hold attention, and be easily remembered. They are the best resource for active learners because the words can be captured in a glance, and each word has a related body movement. It is effective because the multisensory approach to learning engages your child on all levels and utilizes their own learning style strengths.

Addressing the Needs of Kinesthetic Learners

Child1st addresses the needs of the kinesthetic learner by incorporating hand and body motions, visuals, and story in every concept taught. Teaching resources that by their very nature are multisensory and meet the needs of visual learners, kinesthetic/tactile learners, and right-brain learners. Needs to physically process what they are learning.

Give them plenty of outdoor time.
Encourage them to draw sketches or diagrams of what they are hearing in a lesson, or when doing a sheet of math problems, teach them to point to each problem they come to.

The Importance of Multisensory Learning

It is important to understand as much as possible about the learning strengths of each of our children. Believe me, they don't all learn the same way! Two other important strategies that are powerful for kinesthetic learners are story and visual.

Kinesthetic Abilities

Kinesthetic learners generally are gifted with their bodies. They are aware of their body in space and have great balance. They are coordinated. They learn sports and other body skills easily.

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