Hands-On Learning: A Blog for Tactile Learners

Does your child learn best through physical movements or hands-on activities? Do they excel in sports? Do they love exploring things?

If so, your child may be a tactile learner. As a parent, you’ll want to understand your kid’s learning style so you can guide them better and help them enjoy learning. Read on to learn more about tactile learners, how to identify them, and how they can maximize their learning style.

All About Tactile Learners

Tactile learners are hands-on learners. They learn and remember concepts by touching, feeling, or doing. Also called kinesthetic learners, tactile learners love to use their hands. This learning style is also considered multi-sensory learning, given that tactile learners see, hear, feel, and try things out to learn.

Tactile learning includes several benefits. It helps enhance your child’s cognitive development. Physical activities can cause higher oxygen levels in the blood. This results in mental clarity and concentration.

Moreover, tactile learning improves your child’s social skills. When participating in physical activities, they will interact with different people. Hence, they can develop their communication skills and learn the importance of teamwork.

Tactile learning helps hone your child’s problem-solving skills as well. Instead of simply listening to lectures, they touch, feel, or manipulate different items. They learn or discover new ways to solve varying problems in the process.

Furthermore, tactile learning promotes creative thinking. Your child can channel their creative self and find ways to present or remember concepts through unique movements, colorful notes, amazing drawings, fun games, and more.

Tactile learners may excel in sciences with laboratory experiences. They’ll also do great in classes that include both conceptual and hands-on learning. Examples include visual arts, theater, home economics, and culinary arts.

Identifying Tactile Learners

Knowing whether your child is a tactile learner is a good idea. Here are some qualities or behaviors of tactile learners.

Prefer Hands-on Activities

Middle and high school students who are tactile learners love hands-on activities instead of passive ones, including watching movies or listening to a discussion.

Need Movement

Tactile learners usually understand things better when they move. You might find your child swinging their legs, wiggling, or tapping. They find it hard to simply sit still because they learn with the help of their bodies and sense of touch.

Overlook Instructions

Does your kid struggle to recall or follow instructions? Difficulty following rules is another sign your child is a tactile or kinesthetic learner.

Refuse Confinement

Tactile learners also don’t want to feel confined both physically and mentally. They might not want to be stuck in a small classroom or stay at their desks. They need enough space to perform various activities and stay focused. At home, give them a cozy study spot.

Can’t Study for Long Periods

Reading, listening, and studying for a long period is not ideal for tactile learners. They’ll lose their focus. Let them take breaks often so they can absorb what they’re learning. Try the Pomodoro technique, wherein they can do 25-minute intervals and then have a 5-minute break. After several Pomodoros, your child can enjoy longer breaks for around 15 to 30 minutes.

How To Promote Learning for Tactile Learners

Want to help your child maximize their tactile learning style? Consider the tips below to help them succeed in school and enjoy learning.

Get Their Hands Busy

To promote hands-on learning and get your child excited about learning, get their hands busy. Tell them to take down notes.

Apart from simply writing words, they can draw pictures. This way, they’ll remember different concepts and lessons better. Let them create mind maps, too, when taking notes to keep things more organized and fun.

They might also love using highlighters for more important or interesting concepts. If they’re studying math, a calculator would be good to keep them busy. Using computers, with a little supervision, can also help them stay active.

Use Flashcards

Flashcards are not only effective for visual learners but also for tactile learners. They allow your children to easily memorize or remember concepts and other information. Thinking of buying flashcards or creating them for your child? No, you don’t need to. You can simply ask your child to create their flashcards. This way, you’ll nurture their creativity.

Flipping through flashcards lets your child stay focused on the terms or concepts they’re learning.
Promote Physical Activity Breaks

As previously mentioned, tactile learners can’t study for long periods. Hence, let them take breaks.
We’re not talking about watching videos or checking out social media here. Rather, let your child do some stretching, walk around your house, and do other activities that can help them regain their focus on studying.

Engaging in physical activities allows the release of feel-good hormones and endorphins. As a result, your child becomes interested and inspired to learn. At the same time, your child can avoid distracting behaviors, including daydreaming and fidgeting.

Check Out Places Related to School Topics

Remember that tactile learner don’t like being confined, so how about encouraging them to visit museums and other places relevant to their school topics?

Perhaps there’s a museum near your place, so grab the chance to bond with your child. They can also just go alone or with their friends.

A museum visit can supplement their learning if they’re having a lesson about the U.S. civil war. Tactile learners can touch or observe different important items that are not available in their classrooms.

Moreover, they can ask questions to museum staff and engage with other people, making their learning experience more fun and ideal for them.

Have a Study Group

To help your child learn better as a tactile learner, encourage them to find a study group. With a study group, they can share their ideas about certain topics and learn from each other.

Moreover, they can make game cards and certain movements to explain terms. They can also join physical activities together and have fun while learning.

Studying with a group or partner helps your child stay focused and accountable. Thus, it becomes easier to meet deadlines and realize their study goals.

Practice

Practice is one of the most essential parts of tactile learning. Encourage your child to practice the same tasks over and over again. Allow them to make mistakes. They learn better this way. If they’re preparing for an exam, they can also take practice tests to help measure their knowledge and skills. They’ll know their strengths and determine areas they need to improve on. By becoming more familiar with the exam topics and format and how to answer exams well, they’ll have higher chances of performing better in school.

Incorporate Tactile Learning Into Your Child’s Daily Activities

Incorporate tactile learning into their daily routine to help their child learn and grow. Do they love studying the world around them?

Get them some binoculars or magnifying glasses for a better experience.

Does your child love learning new things about different animals? You might want to make a tactile board with various textures for specific animals. By continuously including tactile learning in their daily activities, you nurture their passion for learning.

Final Thoughts

Tactile learners develop their communication, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills as they engage in hands-on learning. Knowing your child’s learning style and applying the tips above can help them study more effectively. Give them the right amount of support to help them reach their full potential. Check out our website for more ways to help promote students’ success.

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