How to Interact with Kids?
Several foreign teachers feel frustrated while interacting with kids and it is hard to make the kids understand what the foreign teachers talk about even sometimes the foreign teachers speak in kids’ native language. When I was in preschool in Germany, I asked a German boy where I should put away the scratch paper. He didn’t answer right away; instead, he went to take a brand new paper and threw it into a paper box which is exactly the place I asked. Although he just showed me rather than talked to me, it is a successful communication experience.
Does language matter?
Compared to the language, the facial expression, the teachers’ gestures, and the way the teachers talk like the tone, and the speed of teachers’ voices are much more important. Language is not the big issue for teachers to interact with the kids in preschool.
The kids aged between 3 to 6 are very sensitive. They acquire information from both sights and sounds. Sometimes the kids get the meaning from teachers’ facial expressions rather than what teachers say. For example, the kid does something that is not allowed. The teachers tell the kid “please don’t do that!” The kid stops, maybe because of the teachers’ angry face and serious tone rather than what the teachers really said.
The way teachers speak affect how the kids will react.
Teachers’ tone needs to be confirmed and confident, so kids can understand that you are telling something really important even they don’t understand the following information you said. If you speak with them in a relaxed tone like you are chatting with them. The less chance the kids will listen to you. They will start to talk and become noisy because they just think now is the right time allowed to talk. And it is hard to get them back to the class anymore.
Next time when you feel frustrated while interacting with the kids, you can try to adjust your tone and speed maybe you can figure out what happened. See you next article!
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