Tips Every New Teacher Needs to Know When Teaching Young Children

Summary

This video is a helpful guide for new preschool teachers, offering practical tips to manage classroom transitions and engage children effectively. Cindy shares simple techniques, like singing children's names to capture their attention, using a whisper voice to create excitement, and quick games like 'Doggy Doggy Where's Your Bone' to fill extra time. She emphasizes giving clear, positive instructions, telling children what to do rather than what not to do. These strategies aim to help teachers maintain control, create a positive environment, and make the classroom experience enjoyable for both teachers and students.

Takeaways

• 😀 Singing names of children helps grab attention and encourages good behavior, especially during transitions.
• 🙂 Use a simple song to call out children by name and recognize their behavior, which motivates others to follow suit.
• 🗣️ Whispering important instructions adds a sense of urgency and captures children's attention without raising your voice.
• 🧩 Instead of raising your voice to get children’s attention, lower it to a whisper to avoid escalating the classroom noise.
• 🕹️ Use simple, quick games like 'If you're sitting crisscross applesauce' to fill time or keep children engaged during transitions.
• 🐕 'Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone' is a fun, quick game to play both indoors and outdoors to engage students in a calm activity.
• 👍 Positive reinforcement is crucial: Always instruct children on what they *should* do instead of focusing on what they shouldn’t.
• 🧠 A key teaching habit is telling children exactly what you want them to do, rather than pointing out negative behavior.
• 🎶 Create fun, engaging moments through songs and games to manage transitions and prevent classroom chaos.
• 📢 Building a supportive and interactive classroom environment through simple techniques can significantly reduce stress and keep children engaged.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video?

The video focuses on providing tips and tricks for new preschool teachers to help them manage the classroom, engage students, and handle transitions smoothly.

What is one method the teacher suggests for getting children's attention during story time?

The teacher suggests using a simple song that mentions the names of children who are sitting properly. This method helps get the children's attention as they want their names to be sung, encouraging them to sit quietly.

How does the whispering technique work to capture children's attention?

The teacher speaks in a whisper and pretends to share 'important information' with the children. This creates a sense of curiosity and excitement, causing the children to listen closely and focus on what the teacher is saying.

What is the key to using the whisper technique effectively?

The key is to lower the volume when speaking instead of raising it. This reverses the typical escalation of noise in the classroom, making students quiet down in order to hear the teacher.

Can you describe a quick game the teacher uses to manage extra time or transitions?

One game involves giving simple commands like 'scratch your head' or 'put a bubble in your mouth,' which the children follow. The teacher might also let a student give the next command, engaging the class in a fun and interactive way.

What is the 'Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone' game, and how is it played?

In this game, one child acts as the 'doggy' who closes their eyes while another child hides a 'bone' (a small block). The rest of the children hide their hands, and the 'doggy' has to guess who is hiding the bone by barking at each child.

Why does the teacher emphasize giving children clear, positive instructions?

The teacher explains that telling children exactly what you want them to do, rather than what not to do, is more effective. For example, saying 'use your walking feet' is clearer than saying 'don’t run.'

What are some benefits of the games and techniques discussed in the video?

The games and techniques help keep children engaged, make transitions smoother, and maintain classroom control without causing frustration. They also encourage participation and attentiveness.

How does the teacher use children's names to encourage proper behavior?

The teacher sings the names of children who are behaving correctly, which motivates others to follow suit because they want their names to be sung as well.

What advice does the teacher give for handling classroom noise?

Instead of raising her voice to be heard over the children, the teacher advises using a quieter tone, such as whispering, to lower the overall noise level and capture the children's attention.