How Can We Adapt Our Teaching Approaches to Meet Different Learning Styles in Young Children? - post

As #early-childhood- #educators, we know that not every child learns in exactly the same way. Some children seem to thrive when they hear new information; others when they see it; still others when they move and explore. By adapting our teaching approaches to match these differences, we make learning more accessible, engaging and meaningful for every child.
In this article, we’ll explore how to recognise variety in how children learn, how we can adapt our teaching to support them, and practical strategies for daily use in your classroom.

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What do we mean by “learning styles”?

The phrase “learning styles” refers to the idea that children have preferences or tendencies in how they absorb and make sense of new information. For example, some children may appear to prefer visual supports (pictures, diagrams), some may prefer auditory input (listening, discussion), and others may prefer kinesthetic/tactile experiences (hands‐on, movement). Children often align with visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. 
It is important to emphasise: this is not about putting every child into a rigid “box” or believing that they only learn that way. Rather, it is about using a flexible and responsive teaching approach so that children get opportunities in different modalities and you meet them where they are.

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Why adapting to different learning approaches matters

• It supports engagement: when children encounter learning in a way that resonates with them, they’re more likely to participate and stay motivated.

• It supports inclusion: children with different language backgrounds, abilities, or #developmental levels may need varied approaches to access the same content.

• It promotes deeper learning: by presenting material in multiple ways, children have more than one route to understanding and remembering.

• It reflects sound practice: differentiated instruction and scaffolded support are recognised effective strategies in #early-childhood education. 
  By adapting our teaching, we create a more responsive, inclusive and effective learning environment.

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How can we recognise how children prefer to learn?

Before adapting teaching, it helps to observe and collect information. Consider the following:

• Does a child seem to watch and follow visual cues better (pictures, charts, demonstration)?

• Does a child seem to ask to hear things repeated, enjoys stories, talks about what they heard?

• Does a child seem restless if required to sit for long and instead likes to move, handle materials, touch and explore?

• Are there children who shine when you give them manipulatives, building tools, movement‐based tasks?

• Pay attention to how children respond when you vary the presentation: did they engage more when you added gesture, movement, real objects, or just talk?

• Use observations to plan: knowing each child’s strengths and preferences is a step toward differentiated teaching. “Know your learners: their backgrounds, #languages, interests, strengths, and challenges.” 

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Practical strategies: adapting teaching to support all learners

Here are concrete ways to adapt your teaching to meet different learning approaches in your early childhood classroom:

1. Use multiple modes of instruction

• Visual: Use pictures, charts, diagrams, visual schedules, storyboards, videos.

• Auditory: Use songs, rhymes, discussion, read-alouds, verbal instructions, storytelling.

• Kinesthetic / tactile: Use manipulatives, movement games, role #play, hands-on exploration, building and crafting.

• Combine: For example, when introducing a concept, you might show a diagram, talk through it, then let children act it out or build something. Research suggests that using multi- #sensory teaching methods supports a broader range of learners. 

2. Offer choice and differentiate how children demonstrate their learning

• Allow children to choose how they will show what they have learned: drawing, building, telling a story, acting it out.

• Provide tasks of varying complexity or support: some children may need scaffolding (adult modelling, guided practice), others may be ready for challenge.

• Use flexible grouping: sometimes children work in pairs, sometimes alone, sometimes in small groups based on interest or readiness. 

3. Scaffold learning and gradually release responsibility

• Model a task (I do), then do it together (We do), then let children try independently or with minimal support (You do). This scaffolding supports learners who may need more support initially.

• Use supports such as sentence starters, visual cues, manipulatives, timers, peer buddies.

• Monitor children’s responses and reduce support as they gain competence.

4. Adapt the environment and routines

• Provide a variety of learning centres that appeal to different preferences: a quiet reading/listening corner, a hands-on building space, a storytelling area, a movement space.

• Use visual schedules or picture cues for children who benefit from seeing what’s next.

• Incorporate movement breaks and sensory activities to support learners who need action.

• Ensure the classroom materials and setting reflect children’s diverse cultures, languages and backgrounds—this matters because children bring many dimensions to how they learn. 

5. Plan intentionally with children's needs in mind

• Begin planning by gathering what you know about each child: their interests, strengths, stage of development, language background, preferred ways of engaging.

• Then design learning experiences that offer multiple entry points. For example, you might plan a unit where children can draw a map (visual), talk about the map (auditory), and build a model of the map (kinesthetic).

• Reflect after: Which children actively engaged? Which ones struggled? What adjustments will you make next time?

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Common application: A mini-lesson example

Let’s take a simple example: Teaching the concept of “shapes” to preschoolers.

• Visual: Show large pictures of different shapes; show children how shapes appear in the classroom or #outdoors (windows, tables, wheels).

• Auditory: Sing a short song about shapes (“Circle, square, triangle, see the shape!”), ask children to name shapes in a story.

• Kinesthetic/tactile: Provide manipulatives: foam shapes, building blocks of different shapes; have children move around and find shapes in the room, create shapes with their bodies.

• Choice/differentiation: Some children may trace shapes with their fingers; others may build them with blocks; others may describe where they see shapes in the environment.

• Scaffolding: For children just learning shapes, you might work one-on-one and point out shapes in a picture; for children ready to extend, ask them to create a shape collage or find shapes outdoors and photograph them with a tablet.

• Monitor and adjust: Notice which children are engaging and which may need further support or a different mode of entry.
  By integrating multiple modes, you reach many learners, and children benefit from experiencing the concept in numerous ways.

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Addressing misconceptions and being realistic

• It’s important to clarify: while the idea of “learning styles” (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) is widely used in educational practice, some research critiques the rigid matching of style to method. 

• Our role is not to pigeon-hole children, but to provide rich, diverse opportunities for learning and allow children to engage in ways that make sense to them while also pushing them into new modes of learning.

• Adaptation doesn’t mean infinite complexity in planning—it means being intentional, flexible and responsive. Using planning tools like differentiated instruction checklists or scaffolding frameworks (see ChildCareEd resources) can simplify the process.

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Professional development and resources

• Training: If you’d like to deepen your skills, check out the course “Tailoring Instruction to Children’s Needs”.

• Resource: For a practical downloadable resource, see the ChildCareEd article Learning Styles. 

• Article: For further reading on how to implement these strategies, see Strategies for Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners. 

  
  And stay connected for tips and inspiration: Instagram – ChildCareEd