You’ve heard the saying “Little things mean a lot.” In some areas of life, they really do! And one of those areas is teaching. Consider the BIG benefits that come from observing these little things.
1.Stoop down to the children’s level to talk to them; sit down to teach them. Children view the world through the legs of adults. To show that you value each child and to ensure that you have the child’s attention, you need to talk to a child on his or her eye level.
2.Use a quiet voice when speaking to the children. Most adults can out-shout little children, but that rarely accomplishes what we think it will. Speak quietly and calmly, and your children will respond much better.
3.Place all your room decorations on the children’s eye level. Use a yardstick. If things are more than three feet from the floor, the children will need to look up to see them. Room decorations on a child’s eye level speak volumes. They say, “This room was designed for little children.”
4.Make learning a sensory process. We rely heavily on seeing and hearing, but touching, smelling, and tasting are important senses as well. Provide things your children can touch, smell, and taste. Using all the senses enriches the learning experience.
5.Call each child by the name his or her parents use. A parent may write “Jonathan” on a record card, but the child may hear only “Johnny” at home. He will not recognize himself as “Jonathan.” Or you may assume that a child who is registered as “Katherine” goes by “Katy”; but maybe her parents prefer and use “Katherine.” Children respond better when they hear the names they commonly hear for themselves.
6.Send birthday cards. Children love to get mail!
7.Have enough of some things in the room so children do not constantly have to share. For instance, have enough crayons, glue sticks, and scissors. Sometimes you will have only one or two items and sharing is a necessity; but other times, have a good number of the same or similar items.
8.Provide big crayons for little hands. Children will enjoy coloring if they have big crayons to grasp.
9.Smile early and often! Little children deserve a happy teacher. Furthermore, they will reflect your mood. Set the stage for a happy morning by smiling as each child arrives. Keep smiling—even if the things you planned don’t go according to the plan.
10.Remember that our sufficiency is in Christ (2 Corinthians 9:8). We can plan, prepare, and pray, but it is God Himself Who causes us to “abound to every good work.”
