Teaching Young Students

June on the TEFL Times has been set aside for a series of articles from Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa, the creator and writer for TEFL Tips.

Teaching young children can be challenging just because it’s difficult to get their attention and keep it for an extended period of time. However there are a few things to keep in mind that will make teaching young students easier.

Change Activities Often
If you’re teaching children how to introduce themselves, plan a bunch of shorter activities instead of one long one. Each activity should last about five to fifteen minutes maximum. Young children simply can’t pay attention for a longer period of time and will start fidgeting.

Move Around
TPR, or Total Physical Response, is great for children. Think of Simon Says and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Children love to be active and move around, so if you can add any movement to your class, kids will love it. Try giving rambunctious children leadership roles. Have them hand out papers, collect game pieces, etc. It will keep them busy, quite and make them feel important. And try games, such as Simon Says, or Do What I say, Not What I Do. in order to get their attention

Games Rule
Forget boring fill in the blank activities. Put those same questions on a game board and children will be mesmerised. Card games work well as well. Try Games Galore and Mark’s English for game ideas and templates.

Group Children Differently
Children lean just as much, if not more, from their peers as they do their teacher. High level students can learn from lower students and vice versa. By changing the grouping, children move around, but more importantly work with different people. They learn group work skills in addition to language skills. When you pair students up, they can sit side-by-side, face-to-face, back-to-back, or even have pairs on opposite sides of the room. Small groups work well around a table or sitting on the floor. Larger groups, or splitting the class in half work well for competition, whole-class games.

Rewards
Rather than punishing students for bad behaviour, try rewarding them for good behaviour. Stickers, stamps, and little gifts are wonderful ways to reward students that behave well. Even praise works wonders. Watch what happens when you compliment one student on sitting properly in his chair, all the others will quickly sit up straight because they want to be praised as well. Or tell the students that at the end of the class, you will give out rewards to the three best behaved children.

Discipline is Key
Discipline can be hard. So try Star Lotto. At the beginning of class, draw three stars on the board. When you want them to be quiet, start counting down from ten, if you reach zero, erase a star. At the end of class, you have a student draw a number. You’ll have to make the number beforehand and should laminate them as well. Numbers need to be from one to six. If a student gets a number that is equal to or less than the stars on the board, then the class gets a sticker on their Star Lotto chart. Once they get a certain number of stickers, they get a prize.

Use signals for silence. Have a signal, such as putting your hands on your head, then clapping three times and then sitting up straight. Students will be able to see you and know that you want them to be quiet even if they can’t hear you.
These are just a few tips, try talking with other teachers as well. By sharing your ideas, both you and your students will enjoy learning more.

Make sure students understand the rules. Demonstrate how to do something with a couple of students in front of the class. That way, if they don’t understand English, they can see what they have to do.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.