Winter Nights Manual: Tutor & Educational Activities
General
- The main targeted goals is to have each student gain a feeling of positive accomplishment & progress in their homework and activities.
- After children show up they should wash up and have a light snack provided by the Shelter. Hand sanitizer and Kleenex should always be around and available.
- Always instill in the children to do their “best work” and that it is OK for them to make mistakes. Encourage them to ask questions.
- Younger children should be worked with first and kept occupied and away from the older children and teenagers when they are studying.
- Create an environment to show parents, positive teaching methods. Positive rewards can be in the form of compliments and/or stars and stickers.
- Adults are encouraged to help students with their homework, but not to do it for them.
0 – 5 Children’s Educational Activities
- Small motor manipulatives and skills (e.g. tactile books, color and shape recognition)
- Activities to encourage development of spatial skills (e.g. use maps to find objects)
- Recognition of currency (for children 4 and up)
- Practice knowing their name and age and family member’s names and ages.
- Learning directional commands (“Simon Says”)
- Recognizing numbers and letters in the alphabet. Older children should be able to spell and write letters
- Have children learn simply manners (“please”, “thank you”, “excuse me”) and good hygiene.
- Read to them. Use the child’s name in the story. Read with feeling and action.
- Make the session interactive with the child.
K – High School Tutoring
- Address individual homework needs for each child which will be in his/her folder or in their backpack from school that day. Additional targeted subjects will be noted on the inside of each folder showing which subjects the child needs extra work on.
- At the end of each session replace a child’s signed and dated work so that they can see their accomplishments over time. Any completed school homework will be taken by the child for school the next day. Make sure all children sign and date everything they do, especially homework.
- At the end of each session, pick out an accomplishment that can end the session on a positive note.
- Work with children on improving penmanship and spelling. Always have a dictionary and scratch paper available.