[EgyGirl]

I'm new to teaching little toddlers English. I'm giving private lessons to two brothers. The youngest is 3 years old. The oldest is 5. Today, was a hard day for me in that the little 3 year old had a nervous break down. His mother had pushed him so hard by going to school from 9am - 3pm (no naps) and at 4 pm, he'd have to start private lessons with me.

At first it was fine. This was before she enrolled him into pre-school. So I guess at this point he is burnt out. I tried all that I could. At first he was fine with coloring and crafts. But then, he started doing the same at school. So then I decided to forget any kind of papers and do dancing and singing. His mother convinced him to go on with the lesson once he got a piece of candy. Wellll.....after that piece of candy dropped on the floor, he lost it! And ran back in the room with him Mommy. I felt bad. I don't have experience with little kids, and I felt like a bit of a failure. His older brother is completely comfortable, however. So the mother decided not to push her youngest son anymore.

I would like to know everyone's thoughts. Do you have stories similar to mine? What did you do? And what are your thoughts about pushing your child too hard at such a young age?

[sonia.ahd]

Hi,
If it's the first time your brother has been in preschool, it is quite normal. Don't worry, it will go away when your brother has gets used to being in school. You might try to plan out your lessons, and use a curriculum. I use the curriculum on PreschoolPalace.org, though it is now under renovation so some of the resources may not be available. Also, if you're very, very stuck then you can visit my site: EarlyLearningPlace.weebly.com. It's not very professional, but it's ok.
If planning does not help, you can try to make the activities shorter. Much shorter. When I plan my lessons, I make each activity 5 min (if it's a dancing or group activity) and 10-15 min if it's a craft or worksheet. Make your activities interesting, and treat your kids at the end of the lesson with a sweet or something.
Contact me for more information!
Sonia.

[Chris Patton]

I think you need to be careful with phrases like "nervous breakdown". I hope you didn't use it with the mother to describe the situation.

It's not all that odd for a child to have a temper tantrum when they are tired, especially if they are being pushed hard by parents. I agree with Sonia that short activities are the way to go.

I would also suggest a lot of variety. Do a few minutes of chants or songs, followed by a colouring worksheet, and then a game-like activity, and then a very short chunk of a children's video etc. The old saying "a change is as good as a rest" is very true with children.

While change is good, children also thrive on routine. So, you can do 12 short activities in an hour, but try to keep them in the same order. He will soon learn that things will happen in a predictable way and he will take comfort from that.

Finally, remember that your students mood, and that of his mother, will depend upon yours. No matter how he behaves or how demanding the mother gets you must try to maintain a rational, professional demeanor. This will help both with his misbehaviour and her demanding nature in the long run.

Good luck!
Chris