Tips in handling lessons with children

a. As much as possible, request the parent to sit beside his/her child. Orient him/her on the planned lesson to maximize support. b. Be extra friendly and cheerful. Always smile. c. Use simple words and simple sentences/instructions. d. Sense the child's mood. If the child looks tired, choose a light but fun topic for the session. e. Make use of finger plays and action songs to capture the student's interest and attention. It will be helpful to set their mood for the lesson. f. Play with your voice in telling stories. g. Goof around! Children enjoy comical and expressive faces. h. Have confidence in yourself. Don't worry about looking or sounding silly. Children won't notice it. In fact, they'd be delighted. i. Make it interactive. Children show more interest when they are allowed to be active, example, let them write, draw, paint, sing songs, do chants, or fold origami. j. Adjust your style of teaching to the child's mood and personality. k. Since it may take a while before children could learn the concepts, it would be good to have the same topic repeatedly but with varied activities so that it won't be boring. Do not overwhelm the child with too many concepts.

Sample Lesson Plan

Below is a suggested time allocation and activities that the tutor may follow in conducting lessons with young children. Of course, the time is flexible and it would still depend on the tutor on how he/she would conduct the lesson. (0-3 min) Ice breaker: establish rapport/be friends with the child This time could also be used to orient the parent on the planned lesson so that he/she could help guide the child (3-21 min) Lesson proper: eg. teach the alphabet, numbers, words, etc. Make use of rhymes, songs, chants, and finger plays to make the lesson fun and interesting for the child (21-25 min) Ending the lesson: Give compliments to reinforce the child to learn. Talk with the parent/s to discuss the child's progress; suggest activities that they can do with the child to review the lessons; give or discuss assignments, if any.

Sample Topics with URLs

The materials available are ideal for children aged 4-9 years old. Children naturally acquire the language when they often hear it so we don't really need to focus on just topics on language. We can teach English while teaching pre-math, pre-reading, and science. The materials below are categorized according to topic. Remember not to overwhelm the child with too many topics. Example: You can have numbers for a week or until the child is able to absorb the lesson but the activities should be varied.