Teaching The Auditory Child

• My experience has been that auditory learners show themselves fairly early. A minimum amount of observation will tell you whether your child prefers to hear things to learn about them.
  
  My daughter is predominantly an auditory learner. When she was just a toddler she enjoyed watching various Disney movies and singing along with them. One afternoon when she was supposed to be taking her nap I heard singing coming from her room. I tiptoed closer to her door and discovered that not only was she singing all of the songs of a particular movie in order, she was retelling the entire script verbatim. Memorizing the dialogue was easy for her because of her auditory tendencies.
  
  Everyone else in my family has auditory tendencies as either their primary or secondary learning style. It’s interesting watching them discuss favorite parts from a movie we watched several months, or even years ago. They’ll be exchanging dialogue and laughing over what this or that character said. I’ve learned just to be an observer during these conversations since invariably with my lack of auditory skill I get the dialogue wrong. It’s a real conversation stopper when five people just look at me and say, “That’s not what he said.”
  
  These are the hallmarks of the auditory learner. They like things put to music or some kind of rhythm, they remember dialogue and conversation, and they often spend a lot of time singing. To make Bible reading more stimulating, try incorporating these ideas for the auditory learner:
• Let him find a comfortable spot from which to listen.


• Read enthusiastically, with feeling. Use character voices, change your pitch, tone, pace, etc.


• If you think it’s embarrassing to read that way or you read with a monotone voice, consider using a dramatized Bible version on cassette tape or CD.


• Have your child repeat certain verses or allow him to conversationally engage in the reading. For example, when the Israelites were circling the walls of Jericho they were to give a great shout on the last day, thus bringing the walls down. Let your child do the shouting!


• Play soft instrumental music in the background as you read.


• Consider adding a song to your devotion time. Pop in a CD or try a familiar favorite a capella.

Your goal is to get the auditory learner to “hear” God and His truths. Help him remember what he’s learning by stimulating his auditory learning style.