From older kids to preschoolers: how do I make the switch?
After teaching high school for 17 years, I was pretty apprehensive about going cold turkey to preschoolers. I mean, high schoolers actually get jokes. And they have an attention span of more than 32 seconds (some days, although not always). I did have preschoolers of my own, and a sister and a best friend who were firmly in the early-ed end of things. But seriously, I could think of about 1,842 ways that I could totally screw this up.
So while this is certainly not the last work on the topic, I wanted to take a little time to share with you some of the most important lessons I learned when I left my adolescents behind an ventured in the much cuter, much more terrifiying (for me) world of preschool.
Be flexible.
This one is common to both ages, but possibly even more important in working with the littles. While older kids have more or less learned to function in a school setting, the littles aren’t necessarily there yet. A rainy day, a special activity, a sunny day, a friend being absent, a friend being present – all of these can send a student (or possibly your entire class) into a tail spin.
Honestly, I dreaded rainy days. It just seemed like the kids couldn’t concentrate as well. So if it turned out to be rainy, I almost always cut a storybook and added a song or two. Luckily, I didn’t have to cover a set curriculum, so I had the freedom to do that. And it really helped save my sanity.
And sometimes it worked the other way. After 15 minutes of trying to get them to chill and listen, we finished a book and were supposed to do a moving game. But they were sitting and listening SO well, I wasn’t about to lose that opportunity. So I’d get out another short book while they were in the mood, even if it mean breaking my “5 minute activity” rule. Occasionally I would regret it, but there’s no law that says you have to finish the book. If they lost interest half-way through, I’d say, “Hey. I think you are tired of reading. Let’s do something else.” And then it was time for the game.
So while you know rule #1 with older kids, it’s even more important with littles. Have a back-up plan. And a back up plan for your back-up plan. And a … well, you get the picture.
Give yourself time to get it right with preschoolers.
My first class was a nightmare. Really. I dreaded seeing those preschoolers. I tried everything, but it just didn’t seem to work. But I just kept reminding myself that it was, after all, my firstpreschool class. My second group went better. And my third was even better. Obviously, I never became the preschool whisperer, but it got to the place that I actually looked forward to seeing my cute little goofballs. And I think they looked forward to me, too.
So if you don’t get it right away, don’t be surprised. That’s part of the deal. Keep at it. Just keep learning every time you see the little darlings.
Movement, songs, and games are your friends.
This may go without saying, but it’s about the most important advice I can give, so I’m going to say it anyway. The less kids are concentrating on the language and the more they are concentrating on FUN, the better it is for everyone. So when you’re learning to count, count stuffed animals. Or count your jumps as you jump across the room. The less your classes feel like learning and the more they feel like play, the more engagement you’ll have. And – ironically – the more they will learn!
Short, short, short.
My rule when planning was to never count on any activity to last more than 5 minutes. So if we were going to read, I counted on a four-minute activity. (And that doesn’t mean sing one song for three minutes, then sing another song for three more minutes. It means completely change activities.) Then we’d sing. Then we’d do a movement game. Then we’d sing again. More reading. Then moving. Then another book. By that time, it was time for the good-bye song and stickers. As I mentioned above, sometimes I broke this rule if the kids were really engaged in a certain activity. However, I never plannedfor any one activity to keep their attention for longer.
Few words on the page, lots of discussion.
In an upcoming post, we’ll cover some of my all-time favorite books for preschool. But in the mean time, just let me tell you that they will all have something in common: very few words. “But Jill,” you might be thinking, “How are they going to learn if they don’t hear the words?” By responding to questions. For example, with on of my favorite booksEl Canguro tiene mama?there is only one short sentence on a page, but here is an example of the discussion we can have about it, all with very elementary vocabulary.
Teacher: Is the mom big or little?
Kids: Big.
T: Yes, the mom is big. Are the babies big?
K: No. Small.
T: Yes, the babies are small. Is YOUR mom big or small?
This exchange about big and small can be followed on the next page by questions about what the animals are doing, how many babies there are in the picture, how many mommies there are, is it the mommy or the daddy in the picture, where is the mommy (or the daddy), and do you like this animal?
You’ve still got to read your audience and make sure you are not boring them, but in my experience, kids respond a lot better when they are taking part in a conversation about the book than when they are just passively listening.
Praise, when possible.
It’s hard to remember, but kids often do better when you praise the ones who are behaving well instead of reminding the ones who aren’t. Our first instinct is often “Simon, sit down please,” or “Amari, please listen.” Instead, try calling attention to the kids who are sitting and listening already. “Maria, I love how you are using your listening ears,” or “Andy, you are sitting so well and keeping your hands to yourself. Nice job,” reminds the kids how to behave without calling anyone out for having trouble. It won’t work every time, but I found it to be particularly helpful with preschoolers.
Small groups – NO MATTER WHAT.
If you are starting your own business, please do yourself this favor. Keep your groups small no matter what. If that means splitting into two different classes or even starting a waiting list, do it. As you are getting your feet wet with preschoolers, you are going to make mistakes. That’s just a fact. But mistakes are multiplied in large classes. And they can make you really, really miserable! I didn’t let my classes get above eight, and that one thing helped me retain what little sanity I had left.
This applies even to one-offs. If you are doing a free class, don’t let the center persuade you to have a class that’s twice what your comfortable with. You won’t be able to do as much fun stuff, and it may actually hurt your enrollment since kids will think Spanish is boring. (Um, and they might get the idea that the Spanish teacher is grumpy for some strange reason, too.)
Cut your losses.
This doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes you’ve just got to cut your losses and close a class down. The very first class I started seemed promising at first, but the bottom line was that it just wasn’t working out. I had low enrollment, the management was a bit disorganized and completely unhelpful, and the kids didn’t behave well. I tried everything I could think of, but I finally decided that I was done. After thinking up a suitably diplomatic way to phrase it, I quit offering the class, and I was SO much happier. I found another center where the enrollment was higher, kids were amazing and fun, and the management actually had it together. Plus, my life got better just because I didn’t have to deal with that one group of kiddos.
Remember, part of the beauty of owning your own business is that you can make calls like that. So do it. If it just isn’t flying at a certain place, let it go. That location that isn’t working out might be keeping you from one that is amazing.
Good luck, and you got this!