The Kinesthetic Learner

• Movers-that is how they learn
• Want to touch-feel everything
• Rubs hands along the wall while in lunch line, walking down the hall
• Puts hand on the door frame.   Touches desks as goes down aisles
• Thumps buddies
• Often writes everything- over and over
• Can take gadget apart and put it back together
• Has many things to play with
• Enjoys doing things with hands
• Is not clumsy; good at sports (if visual modality strength is lacking, will be good at those sports where no visual analysis is required)
• Frequently uses fists
• May be the child who is always making airplanes; fans from paper

How To Teach The Child With Strong Kinesthetic Modality In The Classroom

• Use movement exploration activities-prepositional concepts as well as addition and subtraction concepts can be taught on the monkey bars
• Let them clap or tap out numbers, syllables, etc.
• Use number lines on the floor-experience learning-move heavy objects along the number line for more physical feedback
• Walk patterns of words
• Use sandpaper letters, felt letters, etc.
• Use Flo pens for more kinesthetic feedback
• This child may need to talk to self to feel self saying things- gets motor feedback even though he may speak in monotone
• Do lots of things with eyes shut using 3-D letters (some of these children are taught to read Braille)
• Use all the manipulatives possible
• Use lots of writing.   May need to introduce writing with stencils
• May need Fernald method teaching words, a visual-auditory, kinesthetic technique