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Learning Styles in Toddlers: Do You Have a Little Looker, Listener or Mover?
Read our Review of "How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability"!
The toddler years (from 13 months to 3 years) are the prime time to identify a child's learning style. With this information at hand
you can begin to play in an intentional way to help your child become a "balanced" learner.
Which of these descriptions best fits your toddler? He or she:
- Chooses shape sorters, stacking rings and blocks in play, has a great memory for what's been seen and often chooses to play
alone. Your child tends to be a Looker.
- Loves to talk and be read to, learns nursery rhymes with ease, rapidly adds new
vocabulary words, and expresses feelings with dramatic flair. Your toddler is a Listener.
- Often relies on pointing and pulling to make needs known, is well coordinated,
fearless and loves to climb. Your toddler is without a doubt a Mover.
In an interview with B.J. and his dad, I asked Bruce how parents can encourage their
child to become an entrepreneur. He told me he believes his secret is that he never really
treated his son and daughter like kids. By that he means he "made them feel they could do
anything they wanted to." He also did his best to "catch them when they were receptive and
recognized the times when it seemed best to back off."
As early as the toddler years children can begin to settle into a comfort zone in terms of learning style.
A great deal can be done to prevent your child from literally getting stuck in a preferred
way of learning. You can begin to even out learning ability by intentionally bringing into
your child's play certain toys, games and activities to stimulate less favored ways of learning.
For example, if your child is a Listener, you'll want to focus on enhancing Looker and
Mover abilities. If your child is a Looker, your goal will be to build Listener and Mover skills
and so on.
HERE ARE SOME PLAYFUL WAYS TO INFLUENCE YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING STYLE:
To Enhance Looker Ability in Toddlers:
- Provide many puzzles starting with those that have knobbed pieces for easy insertion and removal.
- Make available fist sized easy-grip crayons to encourage scribbling.
- Buy "Tot Tower" by eeBoo. These award-winning blocks stack, nest and teach object identification, counting and sorting skills.
To Encourage Listener Skills in Toddlers:
- Make story time a daily event. Ask your child to point to pictures as you name them.
- Build vocabulary through outings to the grocery store, post office or park. Talk about what you see there.
- Sing songs together on trips across town in the car. Provide your child a sturdy
toddler-sized pretend CD player that doesn't require batteries such as "Bring Along CD Player" by Tomy.
To Develop Mover Know-how in Toddlers:
- Make regular trips to a neighborhood playground. Allow your child to watch as long as needed before joining in.
- Take turns pantomiming everyday actions like sweeping, shaving or opening a window.
- Choose a tricycle which will help your toddler feel secure. Radio Flyer's "Tiny Trike" has four wheels and doesn't require peddling.
Copyright © Lauren Bradway, Ph.D. is a speech-language pathologist and learning style consultant who has specialized in working with children for over 25 years. Visit her website.
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