"If a child cannot learn in the way we teach, then we should teach in a way the child can learn." Do you remember how you were as a kid? I was hyperactive. Always full of energy and up for mischief. Now, when I see kids full of enthusiasm and energy, I wonder how my parents and teachers took care of me! If you are someone who tends to get annoyed by the countless questions that kids come up with, please understand that it is your biggest mistake.
Quite often, children are curious to know how things work and what things are. You should focus on developing that curiosity and we will be discussing this point in detail. If you are confused as to how to teach a child, this blog is for you. If you are a teacher, struggling with a classroom full of kids or a new parent fed up with trying to teach your kid, this blog will help you.
Without much ado, let’s look at 15 awesome tips on how to teach kids.
How to Teach Kids- 15 Tips You Should Live By
1.Spend time with your kids and understand them
Before you set forth on a mission to teach your kids, you should understand that teaching children is not a piece of cake. There’s a lot of research that needs to be done. Among that, the most important thing is to spend time with them and to create a good connection with them.
Regardless of whether you are a parent or a teacher, you need them to understand that you are a positive influence and that they can trust you. Understanding them is a two-way process. When you spend time with the kids, you get to understand what they like and what they don’t like, their attention span, etc and they get to understand that you are a pillar for them. So as the first step, spend time with the kids.
2.Create a positive learning space
Next, you have to create a positive space for them. If you are thinking about strategies on how to teach kids, one of the important things that you have to understand is that, no matter how good your methods are, if the environment that you create is not positive enough, your efforts are going to be in vain. Add colors to your classroom, if you are a parent wondering how to teach kids, create a small, interesting space for them to study. This will make teaching children interesting and easy.
3.Build curiosity
As mentioned earlier, kids are naturally curious. Do not kill their curiosity when they ask questions. More importantly, do not crush their spirits and energy. When you tell them to stop questioning, they will perceive that as something bad and that’s why a lot of kids are afraid to raise questions and clear their doubts in the class. Feed their curiosity, keep them interested in things happening around them. This brings us to our next point, reading.
4.Inculcate reading habit
Inculcate reading habits in your kids right from a young age. As the saying goes, “ old habits seldom die.” reading is an excellent habit to have, and to create interest, give them books with colors and pictures. Enact the book with them, and read it out loud, give them books on topics that they usually talk about, and gradually shift to educational books.
5.Incorporate storytelling
Kids love stories. When you present the lesson in a story format, kids will not only understand it better but also it will increase their interest in learning. The retention will also be higher.
For example, if you are teaching them the different types of vegetables. Spin a story around the same. Like, there was a kingdom known as the “vegaland” and the brinjal was the king. One day, he summoned all his disciples and told them about a competition where each vegetable should showcase their talent. Then you can go on and talk about how chilly made everyone cry and how likewise. Use your creativity.
6.Use Theatre
In addition to storytelling, when you enact and become the characters in your story, the interest gets doubled and the learning is more effective. Studies have shown that demonstrations can help in retaining the things kids have learned. This will also make them more interested in studying. If you have shifted to online teaching and you are in search of online teaching ideas, this is an excellent point to keep in mind.
7.Make your classes visually appealing
Use a lot of visual aids. This is easier when it comes to online teaching. You can make use of online teaching tools and animations to better explain a concept or lesson. Use real-life objects, images, videos, and likewise to increase the attention and interest in kids. When it comes to how to teach kids online, visual aids are something that cannot be sidelined.
8.Create a schedule
Create a routine and schedule and try to get your kids to stick to that routine. At least one paragraph or a small portion has to be covered on that schedule. This will help them in the long run, because they will grow up to be disciplined individuals. Adhere to the schedule and bear in mind that homework and assignments are not the only aspect of studies. If you are a teacher, then follow a routine in the classroom. It might be starting your class with a Q and A, a motivational story or anything. But always stick to the schedule.
9.Encourage efforts
Prioritize learning over grades. Acknowledge the efforts that the kids are putting in and encourage them to do better. Give them prompt feedback and do not be too critical. There’s no exact formula on how to teach children. Each child is different and when you realize that and cater to their individual talent, that’s where you succeed as a teacher.
10.Set goals and Reward them
Incorporate fun games in class and set achievable goals. For instance, how many vegetables can you name or till what can you count and likewise. As the students grow older, you can change the game but keep the idea intact. Reward those who win and also the ones who failed so as to encourage them. Parents need to know how to teach kids to set their goals and priorities according to the importance of it. Setting goals is a very important part of knowing what the students want to achieve in their life. If they have a clear goal in front of them they can perform things and activities very efficiently.
11.Listen to them
Listening to your students is of paramount importance. Give them ownership, and by listening to them , it is not just their words that you have to take into consideration. But, you have to pick up the non-verbal cues as well and act accordingly as they might not be able to express how they feel or what they didn't understand. It is important to know how to teach kids to be expressive and also to listen others for their good.
12.Help them and guide them
As mentioned earlier, the kids must feel like they are in a safe space. One of the qualities of an excellent teacher is that they never give up on their students. Guide them through and clear their doubts and queries. Help them with their lessons and with anything else that they need your help on. This is why we said that it is important to listen to them. As teachers, kids would look up to you. Do not disappoint them and act as a helping hand. It is very important to guide students throughout their student lifestyle. Many parents ask how to teach kids, it is important to ask how to guide students as well.
13.Avoid lecturing
Kids won’t understand when you lecture them. They have not grown to a position wherein they can comprehend hours of monologue. You have to interact with them and mingle with them to make learning effective. Being too strict will just make the classroom a hostile environment and no one is going to benefit from that. How to teach kids is very important, it is important if you focus more on practical knowledge for them instead of just lecturing them, lecturing kids wont help them grow or gain knowledge.
14.Play with them
Include games in the classroom. This can be educational games or just fun games. Make sure to be a participant in the game. This will help in reinforcing the trust that kids have in you and will make them open up to you. A seamless communication is necessary to teach kids. Many parents ask how to teach kids practical knowledge and physical knowledge, to do this you have to understand them to play with them and make them understand practical things.
15.Breakaway from the lessons
No matter how many articles you have read on how to teach kids or online teaching ideas or teaching strategies, it is going to go down the drain if you don’t give them a break. Especially when it comes to how to teach a child, you have to keep in mind that their attention span is low and you have to talk about things other than the subject matter to keep them interested in earning.
It is said that the influence of a good teacher can never be erased. However, knowing how to teach kids efficiently is not a skill possessed by everyone. So how do you go about teaching kids? Keep reading to know more.
Basics of teaching kids
Most educational institutions around the globe, such as schools and universities, require at least a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) as well as a certain level of specialisation in the subject of choice. For schools, a master's or Post-graduate level education is sufficient, while many college professors hold PhDs.
5 ways of Improving How to Teach Students
How many of us remember our teachers from high school? Chances are, we only remember a few, and not the ones who were the strictest. Here are 5 characteristics for teaching kids that are more important than maintaining discipline in the classroom.
- Learn to be empathetic, not sympathetic: Students often consider school to be their second home and this makes teachers their temporary guardians. To know how to teach students effectively, the teacher should learn to relate and put themselves in the student’s shoes.
- Build clear pathways for communication: For teachers to effectively do their job of how to teach kids, they must also frequently be in contact with parents and other local guardians. This helps ensure transparency as well as sets expectations for agents on both ends.
- Be consistent: Showcasing consistent responses to good and bad classroom behaviour sets a clear indication of the teacher’s likes and dislikes while teaching kids. It guides children in classroom decorum and teaches discipline without causing a negative environment.
- Prioritise individual connection over strict interpersonal boundaries: One of the basics of improving how to teach kids is to get closer to them. This helps teachers apply personalised solutions to individual problems displayed by students.
- Have a passion for teaching kids: Last but not least, knowing how to teach students means being constantly involved in skill upgradation and building new information. This ensures that every batch of students gets their best learning experience.
If you need a break from your routines and are looking around for some inspiration, go ahead and read this blog:
Inspirational Quotes For Teachers
Conclusion
Teaching kids is definitely a tough mountain to climb. However, it is not impossible to do. Now that classes have moved online, you might be wondering how to teach kids online. It is simple, you just have to be mindful and intelligent about it. Prepare your strategies and keep the 15 tips on how to teach kids in your mind. Ensure to interact with your students and gather feedback from them.
Teachmint is keen on changing the future of education with its advanced LMS and ERP tools. With more than 20+ modules for educational institutions like admission management, attendance management system, performance management, and more; it is changing the teaching-learning experience.
Learn more about Teachmint plans here.
