Kinesthetic learners must feel to learn, to feel through touch, taste, and smell. They love doing something and learning in the process. They love to be part of case studies and project work. Instead of learning text books of science they would prefer to spend time experimenting in the science lab. To learn they need to use their hands, move things and feel them. Since feeling and doing is important they remember what they have done. They often tend to be good in sports and dance which involves the use of muscles and body movements. A kinesthetic child will often dismantle and again fix a toy. They enjoy making things with their hands. They love to keep themselves busy doing different things. They just cannot sit still. They love movement from chewing to fidgeting. So they are sometimes wrongly labeled as hyperactive. They love collecting things with which they can make or fix something, for example, things like screw drivers, knives, dryers, cleansing lotions etc. They like to touch and be touched. They don’t feel loved if not touched especially in tense moments. During conversations, they use a lot of “feeling words’ like grasp, touch, solid, heavy, smooth, rough etc. When they speak they need to feel every word they say and hence they speak slowly. They will not undertake any work unless they feel like doing it. So they take time for decisions. They are explorers! They will find out information rather than waiting for someone to give it to them. They are more of the doing kind rather than the thinking kind. So to teach let them do things on their own. They are very emotional and have a lot of passion for what they do. To last in any kind of work or relationship they need to feel good about it otherwise they lose interest.
According to Nusa Maal, kinesthetic learning is the furthest from traditional teaching methods. Therefore teaching kinesthetic learners requires active, creative lesson planning. Kinesthetic learners benefit from hands-on, manipulative activities, plays, moving around while memorizing, through reenactments, art, dance, and other active learning channels.
How to teach a kinesthetic learner?
- If they want to walk and learn something let them do it.
- Use a lot of role play.
- Doing the experiments they learn in science lessons.
- Enroll them in dance class, craft lessons and drama workshop.
Body Language of Kinesthetic Learners
- Settle or move into a warm comfortable position.
- Calm, emotional and caring.
- Touches others when talking and like to be touched.
- Touching chest and stomach area and gestures made below neck level.
- While thinking they have their head and shoulders down with deep abdominal e
- Stand close to others