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Core Characteristics:

• Sensory – internalizes information through bodily sensation
• Reflexive – responds quickly and intuitively to physical stimulus
• Tactile – demonstrates well-developed gross and/or fine motor skills
• Concrete – expresses feelings and ideas through body movement
• Coordinated – shows dexterity, agility, flexibility, balance and poise
• Task Orientated – strive to learn by doing

Students with a strong kinesthetic intelligence:

• Seek to interact with their environment
• Enjoy hands-on activities
• Can remain focused on a hands-on task for an extended period of time
• May demonstrate strong fine and/or gross motor ability
• Prefer learning centers to seat work
• Seek out other students who are physically gregarious
• Master a principle once they can manipulate materials that demonstrate the concept
• Enjoy group games and active learning tasks
• Are different from children who are hyperactive

Support this intelligence in the classroom by:

• Providing hands-on learning centers
• Incorporating creative drama into your instruction
• Including interactive games in reviewing and remediating content
• Offering experiences in movement to rhythm and music
• Engaging students in hands-on science experiments
• Utilizing manipulatives in math instruction
• Allowing opportunities for building and taking apart
• Encouraging students to construct physical representations of concepts
• Keeping students physically moving throughout the school day

Technologies that stimulate this intelligence:

• Construction tools
• Kitchen utensils
• Screw
• Lever
• Wheel and axle
• Inclined plane
• Pulley
• Wedge
• Physical education equipment
• Manipulative materials
• Mouse
• Joystick
• Simulations that require eye-hand coordination
• Assistive technologies
• Digital probes