Understanding Temperament: Tailoring Early Learning Approaches to Different Personalities

One of the true joys of human nature is that everyone is unique. Whilst every child has a leaning towards certain temperamental traits, this is also something that’s shaped during the crucial early years.

For both educators and caregivers, understanding what drives children – their interests, their best way of learning, how they deal with challenges etc - is key to adapting different approaches to best support their personality. Getting this right helps lay the vital foundations, as laid out by the Early Years Learning Framework, upon which the child can flourish into the wonderful adult that they have the potential to become.

Understanding Temperament

While this is a rather in-depth subject and it’s important not to expect any child to fit into a neat little personality box, considering the following behaviour traits is important to working out effective early learning approaches that might best suit.

For instance, is the child:

• Bold or shy: How do they cope with new situations? Do they jump in with little encouragement or do they need more support to become comfortable?
• Adaptable: Do they happily cope with change or is deviating from the usual routine a challenge?
• Extremely active: Are they constantly on the go or are they more inclined towards the quiet life?
• Predictable: Such as wanting food at roughly the same time each day, having regular bowel habits, sleeping and napping at regular times, etc. Or is there little pattern to their behaviours?
• Easily startled: Do out-of-the-ordinary things upset the child? Bright lights, loud noises, different experiences etc… Do such things bother them or are they blissfully unaware?
• Highly reactive: When stimulated, is the child’s reaction big or is it more muted and low-key?
• Easily distracted: Do they change track with the slightest of encouragement or are they more likely to concentrate on what they’re doing once started?
• Persistent: Do they carry on with something even if it’s challenging? Or do they get easily frustrated and give up?
• Moody: Are their moods generally positive and stable or do they have a more serious, introspective nature?

All of these characteristics give huge clues as to how to best support a child’s early learning efforts. Once this is understood, then educators and caregivers can adopt proven methods that stimulate their unique learning style.

Tailored Learning for Different Temperaments

Learning styles can be generally categorised in three ways:

1. High-energy
2. Low-energy
3. Slow burner

High-energy learning includes fast-paced games, lots of physical activity and those that take place outside. Low-energy environments include reading corners, sensory areas and perhaps more individual tasks. Slow burners are those that introduce new things gradually, perhaps slotting in an additional element to a fun activity once the child has become comfortable with the initial task.

While the three learning styles aren’t mutually exclusive, they can be used to adapt techniques that best suit how the child interacts with the world.

For instance, children with high activity levels might learn best through a combination of energetic play and stimulating, hands-on learning. Those who have lower energy levels might still enjoy bursts of higher activity tempered with more low-key options and a place to retreat for time-out when they need it. Those who are more cautious often benefit from watching before actively joining in. Children who get easily overwhelmed might find it easier with a staged learning approach that breaks tasks into smaller steps.

These are just some examples of how small adaptations can be incorporated into the learning journey. A key element for the adult is to observe and assess. As a child grows in confidence, so their learning styles might also change. Seeing a child evolve and develop a newfound confidence in their abilities is delightful to behold. This might mean that, for instance, a child who has previously benefited from slow burn or low-energy activities might feel ready to dip a toe into some of the higher-octane activities of their peers.

However, the opportunity to dial back should always be left open to them—it’s the child who decides on how and when to experience different learning environments.

At Evoke Early Learning, we embrace the Reggio Emilia approach – one that’s wonderfully adaptable to all personality traits. We celebrate each child’s individuality, working with them at a pace that they feel comfortable with and enjoy—and that’s right across the board, from nursery, through toddler and kindergarten.

But don’t just take our word for it – come and see us in action. Book a tour today and discover why we really do offer the best home-from-home for the most precious members of your family.