Tutoring primary school students
Tutoring primary school students sounds like it would be more straightforward than older students, however, it is more challenging than anticipated. Younger students have significantly shorter attention spans and varying levels and types of motivation they need. This means it is incredibly important to have engaging and age-appropriate methods of tutoring in order to create positive learning experiences for all students.
Maintaining the attention span of primary school students can be difficult, especially younger students such as those in kindergarten. They are very easily distracted and can struggle to stay engaged with longer tasks or even shorter tasks, depending on the student. To overcome this challenge, I’ve found that it is helpful to break down the lessons into smaller, more manageable chunks with specific goals. For example, completing 10 spelling words and writing out sentences before having a five minute break. I have also found that using a variety of teaching tools helps maintain their focus, such as verbal and visual explanations, hands-on activities, real-life examples and interactive games related to the content.
Younger students also need more frequent breaks compared to older students who may not need any breaks at all. I always try to incorporate at least one break halfway through the lesson where the student can have a snack and play a short game such as a round of Uno, as this can help keep them energised and prevent burnout. The needs of each student varies, including their preferences for breaks, so it is important to ask the student how they would like to spend their break, for example, if they would rather just rest for a few minutes, play a game, do a quick drawing session, or whatever else might keep the mood light and enjoyable.
Primary school kids also especially thrive on encouragement, as they can easily lose motivation when they don’t understand a question or get something wrong. Given this, it is important to celebrate the successes of your younger students, no matter how big or small they are, and provide constructive feedback to support them. Some students are fine with just verbal feedback, but some may benefit from a physical reward system, such as stickers, to stay engaged and enthusiastic.
Daisy Brenac
