In an ideal world, all children would be perfectly well-behaved. They’d come to your lessons with a gleam in their eyes, eager to absorb every last drop of knowledge you throw at them. Unfortunately, this is rarely, if ever the case.
In this article we’ll reveal the top 5 ways to deal with hyperactive children, and how to encourage them to pay attention during tutoring lessons.
1. Get rid of distractions
Stay away from busy, high-traffic areas. Don’t sit too close to windows. If children are distracting each other, separate them by having them work on opposite sides of the room.
If you think your classroom might be encouraging distraction and you’re looking for a way to prevent it, check out these suggestions.
Also consider that it may not necessarily be external factors that are taking up all of the child’s attention – if you try everything to make the atmosphere distraction-free and the child is still experiencing problems concentrating, it is just as likely they may be struggling internally.
Are they hungry? Fatigued? Are they struggling socially? What is their home environment like? If you notice something is wrong, it might be worth bringing it up with their carer.
2. Make lessons exciting and interactive
Encourage them to get involved. Draw silly figures or act out scenes to help them learn, and encourage them to join in. Find out their interests, and plan your lessons to tie these interests into the learning material.
For example, if you’re doing math tuition with one of your students and you know they’re interested in basketball, try and base the lesson around team scores or averages.
Encourage them to express their creativity. If they have a workbook they need to complete, let them spend some time personalizing and decorating it. Too many students in Singapore are suffering from unnecessary academic stress. Make learning a fun activity they can look forward to, instead of a chore that must be endured.
3. Limit teaching time
Be conscious of the amount of time you spend talking without giving your students an activity. This is the time where they’re most likely to use focus. Giving them something to work on will engage their brain and make them less likely to act out.
Instead of spending so much time explaining the task, cut it down to a few minutes and let them jump right in. Encourage them to ask for help if they need it, but give them a chance to try things out on their own. If the child suffers from Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), consider engaging special needs tuition.
4. Play mind-boosting games
Playing is very important – especially in early childhood education. If your students have been working for an extended period of time, or as a reward for good behaviour, reward them by playing a game. They’ll enjoy it, but more importantly it will give them a period to relax so they don’t burn out from working too much.
Some fun games to try out include:
– Simon Says
– The Telephone Game
– Four Corners Game
If you’re looking for more suggestions, check out this website!
5. Offer a Reward System
Rewarding children for good behaviour and high quality work will motivate them and give them a solid reason to complete the tasks you have set.
If you’re struggling to think of ideas, this website provides lots of suggestions!
Engage your students, make them interested, and they will want to learn. Making kids excited to learn and do their work with enthusiasm is the most important step towards becoming a great tutor.
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