For Teachers: Methods for Helping Young Students Learn

With the many things that distract schoolchildren nowadays, it can be quite challenging for teachers to help their students learn. Among students, there is always a temptation to talk, especially if they find the lessons boring. There might also be distractions inside the classroom like tech gadgets. Sad to say, not only older students can become distracted; children who are just starting their formal education and can also develop unhealthy learning habits.

It’s a good thing, then, that there are various ways teachers can help their young students learn. If you’re a preschool or middle school teacher, take a look at three of these methods:

Engage the students’ imagination

For young children, their imagination can be a potent tool for learning. Inside the classroom, you can engage their creativity in different ways. You can, for one, read aloud some stories, or better yet, have them write their own stories. Also, instead of letting them become a distraction, take advantage of tech gadgets and use an online storybook creator to help you and your students create stories and books. Another way to encourage imagination is drawing. You can have tasks asking your students to draw what they want to become in the future, where they want to go someday, or even how they can help the environment.

Let the students play games

Games are always fun, so why not incorporate them into your lessons to help your students learn? For geography lessons, for example, you can play a game of Toss the Globe. In this game, the student holding an inflatable globe names a continent, ocean, or country and tosses the globe to another student who then locates the place or body of water mentioned before passing the globe. Flash cards can also be good for educational games. You can use addition and subtraction flash cards and have five students play at a time, with the first one who gets three correct answers winning the game.

Give the students practical experiences

As the adage goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” You can help your students learn by having them experience things. Science experiments, for instance, have always been a great hands-on experience for students. Have your students grow plants in both ideal and not-so-ideal conditions so that they can see for themselves how important sunlight, water and soil are to plants. If your school allows students to go on field trips, you can take your students on one as well. Go to a museum, zoo, theater, or fire station; a field trip will be an enjoyable learning experience for your young students.

Now more than ever, it can be difficult for teachers to help their students, especially the young ones, learn. Many classrooms nowadays have many distractions, such as various technological gadgets that encourage kids to play instead of study. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t let this discourage you from performing your duties to the best of your ability. After all, you can always find ways to share your knowledge with your students.