The job of a preschool teacher consists of a bagful of responsibilities which are sensitive as it involves dealing with kids of a tender age. This phase is considered to be a crucial one for them in their mental and emotional development. Being a preschool teacher comes with an added duty because they enter in children’s life when their minds are free and driven towards gathering knowledge and information. So, it is evident that they have to be more diligent in dealing with them as they can go in wrong direction if there is a lack of proper guidance.
It is significant for teachers to have a clear vision of strategies to effectively execute in classrooms. Without having an organised method, it would be one heck of a task to get them under control. Those who are seeking for a job as a teacher be specific in carrying out activities to grab children’s attention.
Here I have listed out some of the best teaching practices for pre-school kids:
Use of symbols and logos: The best way to promote pre-school learning is by using visualization technique. This would help children to enrich their vocabulary by naming popular brands or symbols. Using flashcards is one of the best forms of teaching pre-school kids. The visual method will have a longer and greater impact on them than the written form. It can be made more interactive and interesting by involving both parents and students collecting pictures or symbols from neighbourhood like streets signs, car logos, birds of pictures etc.
Naming and matching: an activity can be conducted in the classroom where the teachers can bring alphabets cut out from the carboard. Every alphabet should have a corresponding thing placed in the set. Then ask students to name the alphabet and choose an object naming with that alphabet.
Multiple activities at a time: Since children have a very small attention span it is better to switch over activities in between to not make them bored. If you assign an activity that takes a lot of time, they might not complete it properly and may leave it halfway through. Teachers should execute the activities keeping this in mind. A research suggests that starting off with simple activities like listening or reading and gradually shifting to lively activities like dancing or running will help students in increasing their excitement to learn.
Gardening activities: The best way to get children exposed to the natural world is by getting them close to the nature with activities like gardening. It is a great stress buster to get a break from the tests or lectures. A great help in personal growth or self- development.
Setting up rules: It is mandatory to establish rules in the beginning of the year which would help teachers in delivering their lectures on time. If a child misbehaves instead of punishing them, try to make them understand their mistake in a polite manner. Rude behaviour will always create fear in the minds towards the teacher which would spoil the class environment.
Children of this age are naïve and fragile which requires constant effort from teacher’s side to be dependable and accessible. It is the blooming phase of a child so the best strategies would help in better progress of children.
