Stage fright, fearing the public, what if I mess up, what will my friends think about me – these are common dilemma that exists within kids. Getting rid of such fear starts from home and starts young. There are many fun activities and actions of encouragement that you as a parent/ educator can do with kids that will help a kid become more confident with their speaking skills and therefore get over the fear of public speaking. In this article, we will pick 3 simple methods that can easily be done by any parent/adult.
Read Books With Kids, Read ‘em Loud - Have you noticed that kids often get fascinated by fantasies, mythologies and fairy tales? These are great at kindling interest among kids in reading books. Sit with the kid for an X amount of reading time every day and read books with them. Read together at first, then read aloud together. Slowly encourage the kid to read aloud by themselves. This can help develop confidence in speaking English for kids, with better pronunciation and vocabulary. Besides, this will make them feel comfortable hearing their own voice loud and clear
Stop Correcting Grammar, Initially At Least - Remember, speech first. Grammar next. Learning grammar is not the right way to start teaching kids to speak. Grammar corrections do not validate a kid’s effort in wanting to be able to speak. Instead, it makes them feel inferior. They start to think that they are always making mistakes, thus lose interest. Don’t correct a kid’s grammar frequently as they speak. Encourage them to converse/ speak up first. As they progress, you will find their grammar improving as they listen to correct grammar from you and others.
Ask Them Questions About Their Day Or What They Did - You can start by asking how their day went? What did they do with their friends? What did they learn in school? What would they like to watch? What would they like for their birthday? By starting a conversation, you can get the kid to share small details about what everyone did, how their day went, and if there is a fun incident to share. Pick up details from their answers and ask another question. Show how genuinely interested you are in wanting to know.
These are some tricks that we have tried before and has done wonders! We will be elated to know if it worked for you as well! Be sure to let us know if it worked