Teachers worldwide understand how challenging it can be to get small children to focus on a lesson plan. Luckily, many techniques are available that appeal to kids that can help you teach them in fun and fantastic ways.
Below, you’ll find different strategies to engage younger students in the classroom and help reach kids who otherwise may have trouble paying attention.
Get everyone out of their desks and on the move
Sometimes you have to give in to the energetic urges that many young children have. Set up different activities in each corner of the room for students to move to as they work their way through your lesson plan. You can also have children deliver math solutions in the form of jumping jacks to help them release pent-up energy as they work through problems.
Make card games a breeze
You can use pool noodles to help make any card game you play in the classroom more accessible for small children. A straightforward way to accomplish this is using small pool noodles to make handling cards easier. Cut a slit down the length of a six-inch piece, and little children can easily handle all their cards for number games and other activities.
Get students involved in decision making
You can give kids a sense of responsibility by occasionally presenting them with two or three possibilities for the day’s activities. For example, you can let students choose whether they want to work in groups or independently for a specific task. You can also ask students how they feel about the pace of the lecture at various times.
Provide space to think about answers
Offering kids some time to think about questions and replies allows them to respond more thoughtfully. After asking a question, try to leave a 20-30 second delay. After that, ask them follow-up questions, like if they can explain how they came up with their responses.
Throughout a lesson plan, it’s an eternal struggle to get kids to pay attention to their teachers. However, these strategies to engage younger students in the classroom can go a long way toward making the job much easier.
