12 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2014
By KErry L. PiNTO
Discovering Your
Child's Learning
Style
W
hen my son was learning his letters in preschool,
he enjoyed putting together an alphabet puzzle
with me. after completing the puzzle, we would
often play a game with wooden alphabet blocks. Fast for-
ward three years to the present day where my preschool
daughter is now learning her letters. she prefers to listen
to alphabet books and trace the letters while i read. she
loves grabbing a piece of construction paper and writing
random letters until they fill the whole sheet.
is one style of teaching letters better than the other?
Not if the end result is the same, in that both kids ulti-
mately learned the alphabet. identifying the preferred learn-
ing style can be helpful in building confidence and success
in your child.
But how do you determine your child's learning style?
Howard Gardner, professor at the Harvard Graduate school
of Education, identified nine multiple intelligences in indi-
viduals. as you read through the list, begin thinking about
what learning style(s) your child most identifies with.
"Just as no two fingerprints are the
same, no two individuals have the
same learning modalities."
- Howard Gardner
