What is Kinesthetic Learning and Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence?

HOW do you effectively teach a Kinesthetic learner?

Kinesthetic Learning and Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence are learning styles where kids learn best from full-body learning activities. They are active learners. They “prefer to manipulate objects, do physical experiments, and learn by trying,” (Mindtools, n.d.).

Kinesthetic Learning and Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence

“This intelligence is related to physical movement and the knowing/wisdom of the body. Including the brain’s motor cortex, which controls bodily motion. Body/kinesthetic intelligence is awakened through physical movement such as in various sports, dance, and physical exercises as well as by the expression of oneself through the body, such as inventing, drama, body language, and creative/interpretive dance,” (Learning Styles).

“Kinesthetic learners need movement and action,” (Maal, 2004). Kids who love kinesthetic learning and have bodily kinesthetic intelligence learn by doing. They learn by engaging the muscles in their bodies and by processing movements in their motor cortex. They also learn by remembering the physical movements required to complete a task.

Kinesthetic learners benefit from hands-on, manipulative activities, plays, moving around while memorizing, through re-enactments, art, dance, and other active learning channels. Maal says, “The Kinesthetic modality is the farthest from language.” Kinesthetic learning is also furthest from traditional teaching methods. Therefore teaching kinesthetic learners requires active, creative lesson planning.

Kinesthetic Learning and ADHD

If your child likes Kinesthetic Learning and is a Bodily Kinesthetic learner, he may have been seen as ADHD in a traditional school setting. The need to move and actively learn can be difficult to address in an environment where everyone is required to sit quietly in their desk all day. Kinesthetic learners don’t learn well if they have to sit still and read or listen.

Kids with Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence learn well through activities such as historical re-enactments, doing hands on experiments, performing literature selections as plays, etc. Kinesthetic Learning requires you to find learning resources since most traditional teaching is auditory in nature.

Kinesthetic learning activities can be a lot of fun!  As you go through this tutorial, you will have the opportunity to read about specific kinesthetic learning activities you can use to teach your child. I’d recommend going through the tutorial sequentially for maximum benefit to you and your child.

Homeschooling an Active Learner

By homeschooling your Kinesthetic learner, you will face a challenge in providing kinesthetic learning activities for active learning. However, you will also be able to meet your child’s unique learning needs on a daily basis. Your child can move as needed, rather than sitting still in a desk for the majority of their day.

Teaching your child through active learning at home will enable your child to learn more easily. It will also help foster a better sense of self-esteem in your child. That’s because it will no longer be “bad” for your child to move around a bit!

Teaching a child through all of the learning channels is proven to be best through research. SO, it’ll be beneficial to go through the full tutorial. If you’re short on time, you can jump ahead to the list of Kinesthetic Learning and Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence learning activities now. Or, you might want to jump over to Time4Learning’s Kinesthetic Learning Style page.

Either way, your child is among the most dynamic of learners. Kinesthetic Learning can be a LOT of fun. Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence can be used for learning in non-traditional ways.

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