Teaching young children can often be fun and extremely rewarding, but it is also a challenge. You need to think of good techniques and keep good resources at hand, to keep the youngsters entertained, and to teach them well. We show you how to go about it.
Firstly, you need to inspire in them a love for learning – they should enjoy being taught. Instill good values and faith, show them good communication skills, and make reading fun. Too many children nowadays have given up reading in favor of watching television; reading is something that needs to be brought back. Don’t “drill and kill” – yes, consistency in routine is good, but it shouldn’t lead to extreme boredom. Encourage spontaneity and creativity. Keep discipline in the class, but make sure the atmosphere is exciting and invigorating. You can have a Drawing Competition – give the children something to draw and color. The best three entries will get a prize. All the artworks can be displayed on the bulletin board to give the children a sense of pride in them.
Word-building is also a great way to teach young children. Write down 5 – 6 different letters on the alphabet on the blackboard, and ask the kids to make words from them. This builds the vocabulary and the reflexes.
You can read aloud to little children. If you have the gift of doing different voices, this is an added benefit, and will ensure that the kids are kept interested. Read fairy tales and other kinds of stories – try to put in morals so that they learn their values at a young age. Green Eggs and Ham, Charlotte’s Web, and most of Roald Dahl’s books are great books you can read to children! Do remember to keep the enthusiasm in your voice, if you feel bored, the children will immediately pick it up in your intonation. So keep it fresh and real, and don’t be boring. If the children have learnt basic sentence making, after the reading session is over, you could ask them to write a few sentences about why they liked, or disliked, the story. Encourage art and craft activities, this builds creativity. Block-building is a great activity as well. Encourage play, and slight rough-housing. Children are very energetic, and need to release the excess energy. Do encourage children to share their things, this builds their social skills.
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