Post 214
Is your little student afraid to speak up in school? Or are they loud at home but don’t say a word in the classroom? That’s understandable. It’s hard for adults to talk to a group of their peers and it’s equally hard for children. I think we often tend to minimize children’s worries because we can see the solution. But to them they are just as huge as any grownup problems are to us. So, what can teachers and parents/caretakers do to help our children along?
In school, I try to encourage reluctant speakers in lots of ways. One is by using our class bear/puppet Muffin. Muffin often has a social or academic problem that we try to help him solve as a group. I would ask a shy child for their ideas to help Muffin. Muffin would then respond in a cute or “bearishly” funny way. That seems to put a hesitant child more at ease. Another thing I do is to talk quietly with a student about their thoughts and then let the rest of the class know what they came up with and how “smart” they were. We would then build on that during our next discussion.
But what can you do at home to influence your little one to speak up in class? One thought is to encourage your child when they have made a good observation. Tell them why it is good and praise them for it. That’s all to build up confidence. (A word to the wise here…really mean what you say. Choose something your child has done or said that you truly like. Children can see right through us and sense when adults are insincere.) Encourage your little one to give you their opinion about things and to share it in school. Praise them when they take a chance to do so. You might also mention to your little student’s teacher that they are reticent to speak up. Educators welcome any insights on a student and together you can brainstorm ways to draw your reluctant little one into classroom discussions.
Remember, you are always your child’s best advocate and cheerleader. By letting them know how proud you are of their efforts you are encouraging them to speak up and overcome their shyness.
Take Care. 🙂
kindergarten23 