Family Devotions With Multiple Learning Styles

What if you have more than one child and everybody has a different set of learning styles? How do you accommodate working to everyone’s strengths without leaving someone out of the mix? And is this going to require more work on your part to pull it off?

Our family is a good example of an eclectic mix of learning styles. As mentioned in an earlier post, my husband is primarily an auditory learner with a strong visual component, while I am primarily a visual learner with a strong kinesthetic part. Our daughter has the same learning make-up as her father, the youngest and middle boys are both primarily visual learners with a strong auditory component, and our oldest son is primarily kinesthetic with a strong auditory part.

After identifying everyone’s learning styles, it became apparent that the auditory style predominated. That being the case it became pretty easy to gear our family devotions toward auditory tendencies. Sitting around listening to dad read from the Bible, listening to him explain certain truths and engaging in conversation via asking leading questions was enough to keep everyone’s attention, for the most part.

Because visual also predominated, having the children take turns reading from the Bible and including diagrams and hand drawn pictures also contributed to keeping everyone’s attention.

Had there been more kinesthetics in the crowd other than just my oldest son and I, we would have accommodated more physical interaction, such as scene reenactments or object lessons. When I led devotions I would tend to do this. I once had the children memorize a Scripture verse by writing each word of it on a separate piece of colored construction paper, and then placing them on the floor in somewhat haphazard order (not too haphazard). Each child had to walk out the verse, in correct order, by stepping from word to word until he or she got to the end. Everyone thought it was fun, it was a nice break from the usual, and I and my son got to indulge our particular learning styles for a change.

Working with multiple learning styles shouldn’t require a lot more extra work unless you try to focus on a style that doesn’t predominate among your family members. Had I insisted on using primarily kinesthetic methods it probably would have been fun at first, but it would have gotten wearisome for most of the family after awhile. Following what came natural for us made it much easier and required little preparation work.

Learn your children’s learning styles and incorporate methods of leading family devotions that teaches to their strengths. You’ll find your children stimulated, engaged, and best yet, looking forward to time spent together in God’s Word.