How to Engage Passive or Hyper Kids

Lessons can be challenging for many reasons, regardless of the student's age. However, when teaching children, you may deal with issues that don't often come up in lessons with older students.

While it's common for adult learners to be shy, quiet children may require more work to open up and share during the lesson. But on the other hand, there are young students who have the opposite problem — they often interrupt you or may have trouble calming down and focusing on the lesson.

So how do you deal with these two very different kinds of situations? We'll cover a few options for each below. You may be surprised to learn that some techniques can be effective for tutoring both types. No matter their personality or even cultural background, kids are kids. That means they will often respond to similar signals and instructions, and you may only need to make small changes for them to apply to either an overly quiet or overly excited student.

Passive Students

Let's focus on the quiet ones first. Because they are still developing as people, and are therefore less sure of themselves, shy kids can be harder to engage with than shy adults. In a real-life classroom, these children may be in the back, keeping their heads down and trying not to be called on. Of course, in a one-on-one online lesson, there is nowhere to hide, which may be stressful for them. Here are a few tips to make things easier for them and for yourself.

Give them time

As mentioned earlier, our lessons mean that one student is constantly the focus of attention. One way to relieve the pressure on a shy or overly passive student is to simply allow them more time to respond to you. Unlike more extroverted people, introverts often take longer to decide how to respond to a question or situation. You can't wait forever, of course, but waiting just a little longer for a response can help. You can even tell them "I'll give you a little time to think of what you want to say."

Use softer language

Softening your language is a simple way to make quiet students more comfortable. Basically, softening language means saying things in an indirect way or in a way that does not judge or criticize. For example, "What does this mean?" may seem like a perfectly normal question, but changing it to "Can you tell me what this means?" will likely be less scary to them. 

Present challenges as an activity that you are doing together with the student rather than one they are expected to complete on their own. Phrases like “Let's try the next problem" and “Shall we try again?” are useful for creating a collaborative and friendlier environment.

Also, try to soften any criticism by also saying something positive or motivating. For example, when responding to an incorrect answer, you can say, "Oh, almost! Good guess, but let's try again."

Use the chatbox and whiteboard

Of course, lessons are primarily about speaking, but there are other ways to communicate, and children who are extremely shy may respond to different methods. Thankfully, we have them: the chatbox and whiteboard! An entire lesson shouldn't be done through them, but they can be a welcome break from talking. If the student is having trouble speaking up or choosing the right words, look for opportunities where they can engage with the lesson by drawing a picture. Drawing is an activity that many children naturally enjoy, so make that fact work for you in the lesson!

Hyperactive Students

As opposed to the students trying hard to disappear, hyperactive students won't let you forget they are there. They may be loud, disorganized or have trouble focusing. But there are techniques which can help with them as well. Try the following tips to calm down an over-excited student.

Set a predictable structure

This tip is most useful for students that you see regularly. Because hyperactive children find it difficult to focus for long periods, letting them know ahead of time what will happen in the lesson will give them a good framework to keep things stable. Think of it like the tracks keeping a train moving in the right direction.

Also, because sudden shifts can be difficult for some students to adjust to, let them know in advance before changing to a new project or assignment. As an example, you can say, "After this section, we'll move on to the reading, OK?"

Break lessons into smaller pieces

Focusing for a long time can be hard for students who don't like to sit still. So you may need to break your lesson into smaller sections, separating them with mini "recess periods" so their minds get a chance to disconnect from the material and loosen up. They don't need to be very long, maybe a minute or two before moving on to the next section of your lesson. Then get them ready to restart with phrases like "Are you ready for the next part? Let's go!"

Let them stand

This may seem like a strange recommendation, but there’s no rule that says online lessons must be done sitting down! Most children like to move, even those who aren’t especially active. Naturally, they still need to focus on the lesson, but allowing them to stand is one less restriction they are forced to deal with. Thankfully, most children aren’t too tall, so simply adjusting the camera on their computer should be enough — no expensive standing desks required! Of course, this will need to be OK with their parent or guardian.

Use the whiteboard

Just like for the quieter students, drawing can be a good way to turn extra energy into a focused activity. The reasons for using it may be different, but the effects are just as positive. Ask them to draw an answer to a question, then ask them to explain it to you. Or, have them draw a situation in which someone would use a certain phrase or vocabulary word. This article has several suggestions for games you can play using the whiteboard.

Wrap-up

Whether you're tutoring kids who are nearly silent or never silent, don't forget to recognize and reward the kind of participation you want to see from them. Letting them know when they are doing a good job will motivate further positive progress. Finally, check out these general tips that are helpful for tutoring all types of kids — quiet, loud and everything in between.