When I am working with kids I have to think outside the box because most of the time they have just finished school and the last thing they want to do is sit at a table and do some more “work”. I am going to give you some tips in making things fun and tons of examples that may not work with your child but might allow you to springboard an idea of your own off of them.
1) Work with the Child’s Interests
I don’t know how many times I have made obstacle courses into superhero training exercises, or had princess hair salon for a desensitization program. If they are interested in trains find math problems with trains in them or have Thomas whisper the answers to your child.
2) Use Movement
While teaching some of my client’s phone numbers we have written each number on a square of paper and taped it to the wall and thrown a ball at it as we said the numbers, written it with sidewalk chalk and jumped on each letter as we said it. I have taught kids the letters in their name by having them try to make them with their body and the muscle memory helps them remember it. Another good example would be putting puzzle pieces on the floor and the child has to scoot over to one and bring it back and put it on the board. I have also done this with letters in their name, or pictures aimed at articulation.
3) Take the Pressure off the Child
I like to have their toys do the work or their imaginary friends. Do you think Mater could find the picture that matches this word? Or have the child teach their stuffy how to do something. I often use puppets when asking kids questions then it is the puppet that didn’t know and not the child. I always reassure the puppet it is alright if they don’t know because the practice is how we get better.
4) Make it Multisensory
I have the kids find the sight word in the rice box, make the letter with the proper formation with wiki sticks and then print it on the chalkboard and then erase it with a small sponge. Not only is it multisensory it is also a ton of repetition. I have used playdoh for letters. I have often used obstacle courses and put a fine motor (pennies to collect and put in the piggy bank), letters, sight words, or drawing in the obstacle course. I have made cheerleader cheers for all kinds of thing the kids have to remember, phone number, address, and/or their full name.
5) Use the Teachable Moments
There is nothing better than teaching a child in the real-time, or as it applies to their life. They will remember it better when they realize how it is useful or applies to them.
6) Let Them Be the Teacher
The majority of the kids I work with get tired of always getting asked the questions so there are many times when I take turns with them especially when it is new material. I will ask you your phone number then you can ask me, or “I will do one math question and then you can do one” I also use the switching off when reading because the whole book can be overwhelming but only a page and a break seem more reasonable.
7) Turn It Into a Game
Sometimes the thing they have to learn doesn’t have to be the game but the thing they do before they get to move their pieces or roll the dice. It is important that the same thing applies to when you have your turn though too. I have turned I spy into an alphabet game in that you have to find something that starts with the letter …… Memory and Go Fish are good for sight words (words to words or word to picture), street signs, community signs, Letters to pictures to name just a few. I have often turned things into a fishing game with pictures, letters, numbers, and words on fish cut outs with fasteners as eyes and magnets on a stick with a ribbon.
8) Work on More Than One Goal at Time
This doesn’t work for all kids but I often combine a lot of programs into one activity, again obstacle courses are good for that. I have put speech pictures between different obstacles in the course, have a thrown ball at the picture section of the course, write a letter of your name at a station in the obstacle course. Puzzles can be down with the pieces on the floor and the board on the table so they have to squat and pick them up to build glutes strength, laid the pieces on one side of the puzzle and have the child cross midline to get them. In the end, you are getting through the stuff faster.
9)Practice Errorless Learning
Errorless learning allows kids be successful, therefore builds their confidence. Errorless leering is designed so the learner doesn’t make mistakes. As the skills are taught, the learner is provided with prompts or cues immediately after the instruction which prevents a wrong answer.
There are some ways to implement errorless learning:
- Adjust your expectations appropriately.
- Make sure the task is something you are 90% sure the child can do.
- Make sure the learner is clear on what is expected of them
- If needed collaboratively finish the task
- When you see a learner struggling step in and give them hints or do part of it for them.
- Make the task doable
- There are several different ways to do this, backward or forward chaining, or breaking down the task into smaller parts and only tackling one at a time.
- Anticipate problems before they arise and pre-correct them
- A good example word be when reading and you see a word that is hard and they may not know say something to the effect of, “ I see in the next sentence there is a tricky word. The word is X. “ or ”this next letter is tricky, this is how you make the letter X.
10) Give lots of praise for the steps done well
I say this for a couple of reasons. One when a child feels they are doing good they will do more, and it is teaching them to enjoy the process not just the end result. Instilling a growth mindset so as they get older they look forward to a challenge instead of shying away from it.