My Obstacle Course: Engage, Encourage and Empower

A fun, structured, systematic way to work on your child's strengths and weaknesses at home!

Learning Styles

With each of the My Obstacle Course station activities I share, I try to make sure that each one incorporates all of the learning styles:

visual

auditory

kinesthetic

This was drilled into me while studying education during college and it has stuck with me – thank goodness! I feel that it is so important to present concepts and skills this way because I know that no matter what a child’s learning style is, they are getting it presented in the way they learn best. This does not mean that you have to create complicated, intricate, detailed station activities. It really is as simple as using written out directions or picture cues, talking through something with your child while doing it or providing them with items they can manipulate while sorting or matching. See pictures to see how simple this really is but know that it makes a huge difference!

Super simple station activity that uses visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning modalities.

By incorporating all of the learning styles, I learned that Andrew is a visual learner and since he was not able to verbalize all that he knew, he was able to demonstrate his knowledge kinesthetically through sorting and matching. Auditory processing is not a strength for him. I can say things over and over again until I’m blue in the face and while I know he hears me and remembers the craziest of things (at least in my mind!), I know that if I want him to process and understand something, he needs to read it or see it. This is especially helpful when it comes to directions, social rules or behavior reminders.

Personal Note:  It is not uncommon to find me out with him at restaurants or social gatherings holding a sheet of paper with behavioral expectations (specifically what it looks like/doesn’t look like depending on what we have had difficulties with) and the consequences of following those rules printed out. It is all right there for him to see and he has the choice to follow or not follow knowing that his choices determine what he gets to do or not do. He looks it over when we leave the house, when we get to where we are going as well as any times he may need gentle reminders.

Engage, Encourage and Empower!