Hello,
Here in Hong Kong, playgroups accept babies between 6 and 24 months. Yes. It may seemadvance and sound crazy at first but it's all worth it. Education here is definitely tough and unreasonable (for some), but after teaching for nearly 7 years...I've learned to live with it.
My first love in this teaching field was PLAYGROUP.
Playgroup = easy and fun 
When I started teaching playgroups, I had difficulties in getting their interest and attention.
It was a love and hate relationship. Parents would yawn and roll their eyes. They thought my classes were boring. I was dragging myself to work feeling frustrated. But
of course, that didn't
stop me from teaching. I became more determined! I bought some books about babies and learned more about them. It was difficult at first but it got easier as time goes by...
The Basics
Parents here in Hong Kong put their babies early to get training for their dream kindergaten interview (this happens when the baby reached 18 months). They usually go twice a week. As silly as it seems, it really benefits their babies a lot.
At a good Playgroup babies will:
- have fun playing
- enjoy being with other babies
- explore a new world with new experiences
- develop a weekly routine
- play with different toys
- relate to other adults
- learn and develop new skills
These qualities are very important and essential for the baby's first year here in Hong Kong.
Teachers need to avoid...
Playgroups are not like other ordinary classes. One little mistake could mean disaster. Here are a few things to avoid:
1. Talking too much. Babies get bored easily. Their attention span is usually only up to 10 minutes (max). Keep your words simple and go straight to the point. You're obviously giving instructions to the parents anyways. So don't go wasting your time talking to babies as they don't understand you. And for them to be in an English speaking environment is fairly enough.
2. Black and White Flashcards. Babies nowadays are much more difficult to please
(thanks to YouTube for the free colorful videos). Showing them flashcards that are not colorful is just a total waste of time. You have to show them in bright colours and they have to be
BIG! My favorite are the ones from
Genki English. They are BIG, BRIGHT and with FACES on them! My playgroup babies love tapping on them and those colourful flashcards gets their attention easier than small
(black and boring)ones.
3. Singing too much. Don't sing for more than 10 minutes because you don't want to lose the baby's attention/focus. Especially during circle time where they sit with their parents. And do incorporate musical instruments to lighten up musical experience.
4. Be a clown. This is actually one of the most important tip I could give any playgroup teachers. You have to be like a jolly clown. For instance, use silly and fun facial expressions and learn to play around with your voice. This is one of the best way to a successful playgroup class.
Moreover, teachers should also have fun and should lower down their expectations to avoid getting disappointed. We should not forget that they are still in diapers. We can't expect a lot (though their parents thinks otherwise). After all, they're just babies!
Lastly, don't be afraid of using BIG (complicated) materials in your playgroups. They may look inappropriate for babies but you'll never know untill you try. The bigger the materials you use, the better you get the babies attention.
With confidence, bright colours, positivity, jolly movement and clown-like voice, playgroups becomes the easiest class to teach. I hope this post helps you deliver a better and fun playgroup class.
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