Ways to make schoolwork more engaging for children
Sometimes children appear to resist learning, but what they actually resist is how we present it. Children really want to learn. You have probably noticed that they are naturally curious. They want to know stuff.
So, how do we present it in a way that provokes their interest?
If you’re a tutor, teacher, parent, caregiver, childcare provider or anyone who is working with a child who needs additional academic help but seems resistant to it, don’t despair. Oftentimes, helping children learn is not an easy task, but along the way, I have discovered a few things.
Try these 5 tips:
- Put yourself in their shoes! When you do this, you will instinctively be more open to the possibility of trying something new or doing something differently. Remember, chances are slim to none that the child is just begging you for extra help. He’d probably rather be playing on a tablet or some other device. So, identify with that feeling and base your lesson from that place. Build some energy into your lesson.
- Get them up and moving! Integrate movement into your lesson. For example, if you have been working with your 2nd grade student on his recall of basic addition and subtraction facts, why not give him 10 addition or subtraction facts to solve, and have him hop or clap out the answers instead of having him sit down and figure it out on paper. The answers are just as valid if they show you through movement, and their brain is even more engaged because it’s now responsible for doing the calculations and showing the answers through movement. Also, you’ve incorporated some fitness, and the child who may have at first, felt reluctant, is now on board. The process has become its own reward!
- Use the movement-based part of your lesson as an assessment tool! One of the great things about movement-based lessons is that you can even use it as an assessment/test. All tests do not need to be taken in written form. For example, tell them that they will be using their bodies to show you the letters that spell those pesky words that are on their spelling test. Make sure they say each letter as they make it with their body because some letters may look like other letters. If certain letters are too difficult for them to make with their bodies. tell them to use their fingers to make the letters. It can be their own version of sign language. 😊
- Work in groups! If you are working with more than one student, allow them to work in groups of two or four. They can learn a lot from each other this way, including cooperation and collaboration skills, especially with movement-based activities. There is always a lot of collaboration and giggling when two students work together to form letters with their bodies that make their spelling words. When I allowed group work for a lesson like this, the students were often very pleased with what they were able to accomplish together, and I was usually quite amazed at their creative results!
- Use a snack as a math manipulative! If you know your child needs a little snack to take the edge off of their hunger , then allow it. They will be more alert, especially if you use it as part of their lesson. I have done this many times, with great results. I love using goldfish crackers as counters when teaching addition and subtraction, and even multiplication. After they have completed several problems, tell your student, “Now eat your work.” It works wonders!
I think it helps for children to be fully immersed, taking an active, whole-body approach to their learning and wholeheartedly believe in the following quote that Confucius was noted to have said which applies to learning:
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/confucius_136802