“Chaos” is the word you can think of when you enter your preschool classroom, isn’t it? That kid there is writing on the wall and the other one is walking on the benches. This little girl is crying and that boy is being a bully. Ever thought about how your teacher was managing you when your classroom were a kid? How could you ever get their attention amidst this chaos? Well, I must say that it is not going to be easy and the only way you can achieve your classroom goals is by following rigorously some or all of the proven classroom management tips listed here.
It is not always easy for a child to communicate his or her feelings. Many a times, they don’t even know how to react. Therefore, cold strict shoulder will not really help you manage your preschool classroom. It is important that kids feel comfortable and safe in your presence. Only then will they open up to you and will be willing to learn as you guide them through their educational journey.
While you will automatically learn certain tricks with experience, here is one you can try with immediately. Having different zones in the classroom for reading activities vs zones for noisy activities vs zones for food sets up an environment where the kid knows how she is supposed to behave in each zone. This way, when you shift them from one zone to another, they are already aware of what activity they are to participate in and change their mindset accordingly.
As mentioned in the previous point, kids don’t know how to express themselves all the time. As a teacher, it is our job to give them tools like drawing / colouring time, group activities, etc that allow them to express themselves.
Transitioning from one activity to another is a tedious job when it comes to kids in preschool. While some kids were not at all interested in the previous activity, some others are so involved that they don’t want to change. Just like in the corporate world, change management for preschool teachers is not an easy job. In order to make sure your classrooms are full of energy and enthusiasm, ensure each and every kid is excited about the change in the activity you are bringing in the session.
You don’t want to disconnect, trust me! As a preschool teacher, you must be able to understand the children in your class and adapt the activity to meet their state of mind. Only then you will be able to make the most of the topic being discussed.
Routines help us be aware of the future and puts us in a comfortable space as compared to be blind about what’s coming next. Similarly, if kids are also made aware of what’s coming next, it will prepare them for the activity and enable you to bring better results at the end of each task.
While this is applicable for all age groups, it is most important to follow for the early childhood age group. The learning environment should focus on all aspects of learning and each topic should be taught in ways more than one to ensure that the children grasp it well. An integrated learning environment should enable kids to learn in ways that utilise all their sensory skills like visual, auditory, emotional and others.
Too many idle activities and no physical activities or vice versa are not in your best interests. You must ensure that you have a good blend of activities that need children to be active and those where their participation is passive.
Repeating the same style to learn different topics or subjects is boring. Avoid doing what you find boring as the children are not going to grab anything from such activities. Find out ways to perform the same activity in unique and creative ways for a good learning environment in your class.
If you love what you do, the kids will automatically love it as well. So, don’t be the teacher that has come to the class to do a job, but be the teacher that loves to teach kids and wishes the best for their future. Remember, one day, one of those kids in your classroom is going to come back to you and thank you for being there for her.
Each classroom should have a mix of technological solutions and traditional solutions in order to be an efficient one at teaching and learning. Preschool management apps and softwares help you reduce the time spent on daily chores and focus more on what you do best – teaching!!
I hope you find this article useful and it helps you be a better teacher. We at Dweek Studios are striving to provide ambitions teachers as yourself a technology enabled platform that will not just contribute to easing your daily chores, but also a learning environment to children that they appreciate. Our preschool management app houses all the necessary communication tools for keeping parents updated on the child’s progress, administrative tools for easing your work load and loads of learning games for little ones to learn with fun.