[sms04n]

I am giving one-on-one lessons to an 11 year old boy in Italy. He's at a high beginner level. Today was our fourth time together and I noticed that he was a little annoyed to be there. His parents want an intensive hour of English per week. He doesn't like listening to songs, doing exercises and he doesn't want to talk (just one answer replies). Does anyone have any good one-on-one games that I could play with him? Maybe he'll be less annoyed! Any other ideas would be appreciated as well! Happy holidays!

[arielhud]

11 seems a little old to be singing songs... at least that's my first thought. I would suggest assigning him journals, so that your one hour together can be more productive (and he can be prepared with something to talk about). Avoid topics like "write about your week" as children will typically just make a laundry list of the mundane, and it's hard to make a conversation out of that.

As far as games, something i did recently was type up about 200 questions and put them on colored paper strips, folded them and have my student (who's 14) draw one and I draw one. Have the child read and ask you the question they draw and vice versa. Make the questions goofy or thought provoking.

Assess your child's maturity level. Particularly with boys, things become irritating when they're treated like kids. Treat him like a teenager and he'll probably open up a lot more.

[sms04n]

Thank you for the reply! We started writing short journals and reading "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid". He loves it!

[arielhud]

Glad to hear it worked out for you! My kid really loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid too- now we're reading The 39 Clues together. It's a bit more challenging than Diary, but we can do a lot more vocabulary exercises!

[Barbara Huhtala]

just a quick note about working with boys: they NEED to move due to testosterone levels. testosterone production in the body creates a sense of anxiety that can only be alleviated by physical movement. watch any classroom and you will see boys constantly moving and twitching while most girls are still. telling boys to "sit still" is a waste of breath. try some running dictation activities. have a piece of text posted on a wall or on a table on one side of the room while you are on the other have him run back and forth dictating to you, being careful of all spelling and punctuation. activities like this will help him sit still and concentrate later when required.

[luinfrance]

hi
only just seen this post, but i am also teaching a 12 yr old boy who isn't interested at all. I have had to talk to his parents as I have tried all sorts of approaches but he was constantly bothered by me I think. even though I had asked him what he was interested in a hundred times he didn't want to divulge so his parents have had to intervene! I have my next lesson tonight so we will see how it goes ... and by the way, has anyone done any lessons about the basketball and the NBA?
hope it"s going well
Lu

[sms04n]

Thank you for your replies! @luinfrance I definitely understand where you are coming from. We have our good days and bad days! I have to bribe him to get him to do any kind of grammar exercises! Here, in Italy, most children study English at school. The teachers are rarely mother language speakers. So, I have to often spend time fixing pronunciation. Does anyone have any ideas for some grammar games? Basic grammar. He knows present simple and continuous.