Kinaesthetic Learners

Kinaesthetic Learners are natural doers. They learn best when they process information while being physically active or engaged.

Kinaesthetic Learners are not necessarily suited to the traditional classroom. They tend to learn best when they are physically active, or through learning activities that involve active participation. Like Auditory Learners, Kinaesthetic Learners tend to not be tremendous note-takers in class. They can be fidgety and not enjoy sitting still for long periods of time, which sometimes comes across as disruptive or uninterested.

Are you a Kinaesthetic Learner?

  • Good with their hands, enjoy building models and putting things together

  • Good at remembering things they’ve actually done before, eg cooking meals, putting together computers, jigsaw puzzles

  • Enjoy active learning at school, such as PE and science experiments

  • Enjoy playing sport

  • Like adventure books and movies

  • Become fidgety when sitting for a long period of time

  • Tend to have not great handwriting or spelling

Study tips for Kinaesthetic Learners

  • Use flash cards

    Flash cards help Kinaesthetic Learners turn simple recall into a game. Simply write a question or topic suggestion on one side of a card, and the answer or a list of details you need to remember on the other side. You can use flash cards on your own or to study with others.

  • Study in short blocks

    Kinaesthetic Learners tend to have a relatively short attention span when they’re studying. To help with concentration, break your study up into shorter periods and take breaks in between.

  • Use lots of examples

    Kinaesthetic Learners tend to make better associations with the use of examples than just plain facts. For example, to remember the formula, F = m × a (force = mass x acceleration) you could think of a phone being dropped from a second story balcony, and how force, mass, and acceleration are related. The more personal or relatable to everyday life the better.

  • Study with other people

    Kinaesthetic Learners enjoy discussion. Talking is a great way to consolidate what you have learnt. As a parent you could try and have a discussion with your teen about what they’re learning about at school or studying. Combining this with flash cards is a great way for parents to contribute to their teen’s study.

  • Do something while you study

    Tap a pencil, squeeze a stress ball, walk around your room; do something to occupy the urge to do something with your hands. Just make sure that this doesn’t become a distraction itself! Going for a walk while listening to an audio lesson could be really helpful for your information processing and retention.

  • Watch videos with demonstrations

    Find educational videos that use demonstrations to help you associate a working example with the things you need to know. You will be more likely to remember when you can picture how something works.