Music is one of the most rewarding things you can teach anyone, no matter how old they are. However, teaching kids can be daunting since they need more time and effort to grasp new concepts. But there are unique things you can do to increase the productivity of music classes for kids.

The main thing is make the music classes as enjoyable as possible. This is especially when teaching kids music online where there are lots of potential distractors.

In this article, you’ll learn some of the best ways to make music classes enjoyable for learners so that every child can achieve their greatest potential.

1. Keep the Lessons Short

A kid’s attention span is shorter than that of an adult. This makes it vital to keep your lessons as short as possible. Otherwise, your students are likely to get distracted, especially if it is an online class. Thus, the best thing to do is design the length of the classes with the kid’s age in mind.

An average length of time when teaching kids should be between 30-45 minutes. Please make the most of this time with exciting activities that will keep them glued to the lesson. It will also help develop new experiences that would grab the learners’ attention for every lesson.

2. Use Technology

Almost everything that kids know today relates to technology in some way. So, it will be best to bring about things that they can relate to in the classroom. The reality is that music is one of the best subjects where you can run out of options on how to use different technologies.

You can use video sites and applications to make learning more practical. The best thing about using such platforms is that they are filled with a wide range of content. Thus, you can even recommend them for practice at home, especially for kids learning to play musical instruments.

3. Be Aware of Differing Skill Levels

Music is an art, and the skill levels differ from an individual to another. Kids, too, have different skill levels be it in singing or playing musical instruments. That explains why schools that provide online music classes have different learning levels. These levels range from beginner to intermediate and advanced.

Music schools that music classes for kids recognize that some kids need more time to grasp ideas. You, too, need to recognize this fact if you want to become a music teacher. It will help you meet every kid’s learning needs and enhance your music classes’ productivity.

4. Encourage Interaction

Another way to make teaching music enjoyable is to encourage kids to learn from each other. A kid’s best teacher is their peer, and kids enjoy sharing knowledge with others. It would be best to put them in groups to encourage peer collaboration.

This will break the monotony of kids listening to you all the time. Besides, a problematic concept sounds easier when explained to by a fellow kid. Interactive learning will also allow the kids to work in groups and eventually improve their teamwork skills. This is how they also learn to sing or play instruments harmoniously.

5. Have a Positive Attitude

Preparing for a lesson is one of the most tedious tasks teachers have to do. It is even more daunting and requires more time than teaching the lesson in class. Sometimes, this can take a toll on you as a music teacher. However, you need to avoid showing your learners this feeling once you’re in class.

Kids can scan moods, and they will pick on your mood as soon as they read it. This makes it vital to stay positive and show excitement even if the overwhelming preparation had dampened your spirit before the lesson. Staying positive throughout can help make the learning process more effective.

6. Teach Things Kids Relate to Easily

Kids aren’t good at grabbing new concepts that they don’t have any interest in, especially music. It is vital to avoid this type of music content, genres and songs to make your music classes enjoyable. The first thing to do is identify the songs and music genres that the kids in your class loveto relate with best.

It would be best if you then used this music and genre to make learning enjoyable. This also includes musical instruments that they enjoy playing or listening to when played to them. The good thing is that you can never run short of music or instruments to fit the learners’ needs and interests.

Also considering teaching kids about the music industry in case they decide that they want to be a professional musician someday.

7. Introduce Friendly Competition

Competition makes us work harder at work, in business or anywhere else. Introducing friendly competition in your music class can encourage learners to work extra hard. For instance, you can introduce games that kids will enjoy and give prices to those that come out top.

The best way to do this is to avoid making it an individual-to-individual competition. You can divide the class into two teams. Then, make the teams compete against each other. This will ensure that the kids don’t feel embarrassed as individuals if they lose. This will encourage them to work harder as a team.

Conclusion

Learning music is a beautiful way through which kids can mature up quickly. Besides being a talent, it is an art and skill that they can keep growing from a young age into teenage and adulthood. But then, it all starts with attending music school and developing their talents into invaluable skills for the future.

However, teaching music lessons can be a daunting task for music teachers. Even with proper planning, presenting the lesson interestingly isn’t as easy as it may seem. The good news is that there are several ways that teachers can grab the learners’ attention and deliver their lessons more effectively.

This article has explored some of the things you can do to achieve this as a music teacher. These tips can help you relate better with kids and also increase their ability to grab musical concepts. Take your time to implement these tips to increase your productivity in the classroom or online.

Learning how to ride a bike is truly a liberating feeling, and your bundle of joy deserves this. For every child, pedalling and cycling without training wheels is a significant milestone. However, teaching kids how to ride a bike without training wheels can be draining.  This is especially true because kids are usually scared of falling and parents are even more afraid of hurting kids.

Yet, we’re still motivated to do it because learning to ride a bike not only helps them with healthy physical growth but also instills in them a sense of responsibility.

In the age of iPads and other gaming consoles, this post is vitally important to encourage kids to get outdoors.  Learning to ride a bit is a fun place to start.  So, in this post we’ll share some tried and tested steps to ease the process!  And yes, without training wheels!

Prepping Kids for Riding the Bike

First of all, you cannot force a child to ride without training wheels. So, before we start sharing the details, make sure that your child is ready to take up this challenge. Now, let’s see what you need to do before going on the pavement;

• Make sure the child wears a helmet, and it sits properly on their head (the helmet should be one inch above the eyebrows. In addition to the helmet, wear protective gear, such as gloves, shin guards, and elbow guards.

• Check the bike’s tires and brakes. Properly inflated tires will ensure a safe and smooth ride, and they will be able to coast well. And obviously, brakes will assist them to stop whenever they want.

• Learning a new skill is always stressful for kids, so try to take it easy, allow them to loosen up, and just laugh if your child fails (it’s okay, and you must trust the process)

The Learning Process 

1. Walking Without Pedals

• The first step is to take out the pedals and let your child walk the bike while sitting on the seat.

• Now, lower the bike’s seat to make sure the child’s feet touch the ground (they must be flat on the ground). This will help them gain confidence since they will be able to touch the ground.

• Allow your child to walk the bike on the flat surface so they feel in control. Moreover, it gives them get accustomed to the feeling of steering and balancing the bike.

• Show them how the brakes are to be used and have them practice braking while walking along side the bicycle.  Teach them that the back brakes should only be used while simultaneously using the back brakes, so that they don’t fall over the handle bars.  Use of the back brakes can be used alone but using both front and back brakes together gives more control at higher speeds.

These four steps should be followed until they perfect it. As a result, they will learn complete control over their bike.

2. Coasting On the Bike

• Let your child coast down the slightly declining slopes with their feet up. It will help them get aware of the momentum without making them feel scared. Also, it will teach them how to balance (it’s suggested to find small slopes, for this purpose)

• As a parent, you need to stay at the bottom side of the slope, so your child can see when they ride through the slope. It will help them feel at ease and have a target to ride towards

• When they are riding down the slope, start timing them. It will eventually turn into a game, and they will start riding down faster. Moreover, when they are able to coast on continuously for fifteen seconds, install the pedals.

It’s important to encourage a positive attitude towards the entire leaning process.  Speak confidence into your child and tell them they have more than enough ability to be an excellent bike rider.  Relay your own positive experience if you can remember it.

3. Riding Bike with Pedals

 First of all, install the pedals and teach them that the left pedal tightens with counter-clockwise movement while the right pedal will tighten in the clockwise direction.

• Once the pedals are installed, hold to their side and let them start the bike with pedalling (they learn to pedal quicker as compared to balancing, so hurrah!)

• Lastly, don’t forget to teach them about starting pedalling from the stopped position. For this, let them stand with a foot on the ground and have their opposite foot sit on the pedal at two o’clock point. This positioning will let them push the pedals down and create momentum, helping them gain balance (you might need to teach this a few times before they get the hang of it, so stay calm)

Additional Tips to Ease Bike-Riding Learning Experience

• The biggest mistake is buying a bigger bike, thinking, “my child will grow into it.” That’s because if the bike is too big, they won’t have adequate control over it. Of course, riding safety is the key concern but you also want to give your child the best experience learning to ride their bike. Consult this kids bike size chart to determine the proper bike according to their age and height.

• Rather than starting them on rough pavement, teach them on the grass patches because the ground will be softer even if they fall. Secondly, choose a place with lesser people, so your munchkin doesn’t get embarrassed (they must feel confident to learn well).

• When they learn a step or get accustomed to some movement, make sure the next step is manageable and nothing too advanced. If your child asks for a break, allow them because learning can be challenging.

• Lastly, don’t forget to keep your calm. It’s fine to get intimidated when kids aren’t able to grasp an idea, but your yelling will only worsen the situation.

The Bottom Line

Riding a bike without training wheels can be scary for your kids, but it’s something they must learn, right? It not only helps them commute on their own, but it brings a sense of self-esteem, confidence, and balance, which is vital for their personality development. So, when are you hitting the road (or may we say a grass patch?)

Author’s Bio
Ned Anthony Taylor is an editor in chief of Daddy of Steel. A health and fitness Resource portal especially targeted to young dads. Who are kind of lost at the in kids, bills and Netflix.  It’s an attempt to encourage them to break this hamster wheel and have more energy, better health and enjoy more quality time with their kids.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly referred to as ADHD, is a neurodevelopment condition that affects behavior. And while most ADHD treatments typically involve medication, psychotherapy can be a more effective solution.

Here’s where behavioral therapy comes into play. Different symptoms of ADHD react to medication differently.

Behavioral therapy manages ADHD symptoms by encouraging positive characteristics and behaviors and improving self-esteem and self-control. Professionals seeking to enhance their support for ADHD patients may consider ADHD coaching training, which provides specialized techniques for managing behavior-related challenges. When used effectively, behavioral therapy can develop a wide range of skills to help ADHD patients manage these challenges.

The effectiveness of behavioral therapy also varies from one person to another, and many doctors recommend medication to get the best results.

This post will discuss what behavioral therapy is, how effective it is for treating ADHD, and the different behavioral therapy techniques. Read on:

What is Behavioral Therapy? How It Alleviates Symptoms of ADHD

Behavioral therapy is basically an umbrella term used for different forms of therapy that focus on the patient’s behavior. The primary aim of this psychotherapy treatment is to help the patient identify harmful or unhealthy behaviors and change them by adopting more helpful behaviors.

That’s to say, behavioral therapy is based on the idea that a patient can learn behavioral patterns. As such, you can learn new behaviors through therapy, although learning and reinforcing them can take time.

Some common forms of behavioral therapy that have proved to be very effective include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

We will discuss more about these therapy treatment options later on in the article.

How Effective is Behavioral Therapy for Treating ADHD?

Symptoms of ADHD can be quite severe, depending on the stage of the condition. Similarly, certain behaviors associated with ADHD can be very disruptive and quite challenging. And while medication may help control most of its core symptoms, behavioral therapy can be more effective in helping patients learn helpful coping skills and strategies.

On a similar note, it is important to know which behavioral therapy is most suited and will be the most effective for each patient. Different behavioral therapy forms can help:

• Reduce procrastination
• Stay focused for longer
• Avoid hyperactivity when it’s inappropriate
• Organize thoughts and tasks
• Identify and correct impulsive actions

All these are evidence that behavioral therapy is effective and plays a critical role in treating ADHD. The CDC also cites that patient training and behavioral therapy can help alleviate symptoms of ADHD, especially in young children. However, this may require caregivers, therapists, and teachers to establish the rules and define positive behaviors jointly.

Another study found CBT to be a more effective behavioral therapy treatment option for adolescents with ADHD who haven’t responded well to medication. The study found that college students who participated in the study experienced less severe symptoms of ADHD and improved “executive functioning,” which helped them manage time, complete tasks, and control behavior and emotions.

Several studies also show that adults with ADHD respond well to CBT. There’s already mounting evidence that this behavioral therapy treatment may help reduce symptoms of ADHD in adults. CBT can also address anxiety and depression symptoms, which is common in adults.

Does Behavioral Therapy Work for All Ages?

As the above study suggests, some behavioral therapy forms may benefit people with ADHD of certain ages more than others. For example, the report by the CDC shows that basic behavioral therapy and training may be more useful for children under 12 with ADHD.

This form of training can help parents and caregivers to provide their children with the structure and support they need to develop positive and helpful behaviors.

Can Behavioral Therapy Help Kids with ADHD?

Yes! Behavioral therapy has already proved to be very effective in helping kids (and adults) with symptoms of ADHD. However, studies show that it is even more effective for kids than adults.

Most kids with ADHD struggle with anger and self-control, which can lead to other problem behaviors. It is also not uncommon for these kids to lie frequently, especially on matters related to chores and other everyday tasks.

Behavior therapy takes a more businesslike approach to help kids with ADHD change their behaviors and responses to situations. One of its main goals is to eliminate arguing and give them the motivation to change without involving parents.

The point of introducing behavior therapy is to replace your kid’s negative behaviors with positive ones. That’s why its system of rewards and consequences plays a very critical role in molding kids.

Whatever the reward is, it should also be coupled with praise for good behavior. You can also make your child’s teachers aware of this plan, so they can reinforce it at school too. At home parents will be able to better help their child with ADHD successfully study at home.

Equally important is verbal recognition and praise for each time your child completes a task. Praise words like “you did a great job” and “I’m really pleased with you” can go a long way towards helping your child.

Consequently, as you can praise and reward your child for positive behaviors, you can also teach them to expect consequences for negative behaviors. For example, you can deny them points or take away their screentime each time they misbehave, lie, or get involved in fights.

Behavioral Therapy Forms for ADHD

There are different forms of behavioral therapy that you can use to alleviate your symptoms of ADHD. Some are more effective than others, depending on your condition, age, and other factors.

Some forms of behavioral therapy you might consider trying include:

• CBT

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on the patient’s thoughts and behaviors. CBT can help change your negative thoughts to positive ones by changing how you view challenges. It will also help you find more effective approaches to organization, planning, time management, and impulse control.

Some studies also show that CBT can help patients to manage stress and emotions.

• DBT

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) can help you to tolerate and regulate your emotions by teaching you different techniques to help you understand your emotions better. It also teaches you applicable ways to manage your emotions and change your behavior. DBT is effective at preventing impulsive or self-destructive behavior patterns in ADHD patients.

• Coaching

Coaching is a practical intervention strategy that targets specific areas of difficulty for people with ADHD. These may include planning, goal-setting, time management, problem-, and organization-solving. Coaches help you solve practical skills and teach you how to overcome challenges associated with ADHD.

• Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback involves measuring brain activity and trying to alter it to minimize the symptoms of ADHD. Most ADHD patients typically show less activity in certain areas of the brain associated with behavior, learning, and personality. Neurofeedback attempts to increase activity in these sections of the brain.

Which Form of Behavioral Therapy is Effective?

While each behavioral therapy form is different, they overlap in using classical and operant conditioning techniques.

In classical conditioning, the ADHD patient is associated with two stimuli to determine which effect it brings. For example, associating a specific sound with sleep can help the patient feel sleepy whenever he/she hears that sound.

On the other hand, operant conditioning focuses on reinforcing certain learning activities and consequences. For example, you can teach your ADHD child to expect rewards and praise after performing certain activities.

After identifying a problematic behavior, you can formulate a plan that addresses it and substitute it with positive behavior. This may involve a reward or praise for switching to a more helpful behavior. Or, it could mean facing the consequences for continuing with the problematic behavior.

Demonstrating positive behavior can also move your child a step closer to his/her reward, while negative behavior sets him/her back. That’s why some doctors suggest having a goal chart for your children to let them see their progress and have some sense of accomplishment whenever they complete a task. You’ll basically be guiding your child toward his/her goal.

When to Expect Results

Like most medicines and therapy treatments, behavioral therapy isn’t a quick solution. Instead, it takes time and a lot of discipline before you can start seeing results.

Changing someone’s thoughts and patterns of behavior needs a lot of consistent effort. The pace of progress differs from one person to another, depending on factors specific to each individual and how effective their treatment is.

By working closely with your therapist, you will start seeing improvements from your symptoms of ADHD and have more control over your behaviors. But even after seeing improvements, you should stay consistent with the rewards and consequences system so you don’t backslide.

Combining Behavioral Therapy with Medication

Many doctors often recommend behavioral therapy treatments alongside other treatments, like medication. Stimulant and non-stimulant drugs may also address the neurological component of ADHD.

Behavioral therapy complements medication well and can be very effective, especially when medication alone does not help.

In Sum

Behavioral therapy involves identifying negative behaviors and working on substituting them with positive ones. Several studies already suggest that behavioral therapy is effective in helping manage your symptoms of ADHD.

Your doctor may also suggest that you take medication alongside your behavioral therapy treatments for the most effective results. It is worth considering if you haven’t tried it before.

Read about ADHD stimming and it’s effects on the body.

School is pretty much a job that we give to kids.  Like the jobs we have as adults it is the place you must show up to every day, even when you don’t want to go.  The business of learning is work.  It involves mental focus and self-discipline.  That discipline is an important part of how school shapes kids.

The important knowledge and skills that classes such as math, science, history, languages, and English are critical to helping children become well-rounded, intelligent adults but the self-discipline it takes to show up every day, work with others and finish the assigned work might be the most important skill school can instill in us.

The work that kids must put into school and the social anxiety that can come from learning how to interact with other people every day should make it easy to understand why many kids struggle with school.  School can be an unpleasant experience for kids with learning disabilities, kids who have a conflict with teachers, kids who have social anxiety, kids who are bullied, and kids who struggle with the self-discipline you need to be a good student.  Some people simply don’t like school, and some even go as far as being scared to death of going to school (known as Didaskaleinophobia).

So, if school has the potential to be such an unpleasant experience, why do some kids love school so much?  We all went to school with some classmates who were full of enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed their classes.  What can we do to encourage any child to have a positive experience in school and have a huge smile on their face when they step foot into school?  It is possible to make school a place that even kids who were less than excited about going to school come to love.  We explore five ways to make sure kids love school.

1. Make learning interactive and creative.

Different kids have different learning styles.  Some kids can do well with traditional learning.  Some kids adapt to a classroom situation on their first day of school.  They can listen to a lecture, take notes, read textbooks and study, and earn good grades on quizzes and test.  That simply isn’t the case with many kids.  For them, learning needs to be an active, creative process.  They need to be presented with choices in how they will approach learning and they need to be up from their desks and engaged in learning activities.  Even students who do well with traditional teaching methods benefit from this approach.  An engaged student who is empowered to make choices is far more likely to love school.

2. Adults should be role models.

Kids look to adults to model how to behave.  Attitude is contagious!  Every day children are essentially at the mercy of adults.  They must listen to their parents, teachers, coaches, instructors, principals, guidance councilors and other adults.  It is important for kids to be taught respect for adults, but it is also import for adults who are parents or work with kids to remember how much their own attitude affect the kids they are in contact with every day.  If their teachers and the other adults enjoy being at school there then so will the kids.

3. Adults are not the only ones who need work/life balance.

When you become an adult, it can be easy to envy kids their freedom.  With the pressures of bills, work, and parenting it can seem like kids have it easy by comparison.  Today, kids are under a lot of pressure to make good grades, be involved in multiple extracurricular activities and deal with the social pressures of school, which have only become more intense thanks to social media.  In order for them to love school, they need help balancing their schedule.  It is important for them to figure out how to manage their schoolwork, extracurricular activities and free time without becoming over scheduled and stressed out.  With a healthy work/life balance, they will be able to love school.

4. Help kids identify their interests and strengths.

Part of growing up is figuring who you are, what your interests are and what direction you want your life to go in.  That is a tall order!  Kids need room to experiment with different classes and different extracurricular activities.  Some they may quickly give up on.  Others may radically shape who they become and what they do with their life.  Their parents, teachers and the other adults around them should support this process.

5. Foster an environment that is supportive of all kids.

There is a growing awareness of the effect that school bullying and the toxic morass of the online world has on children and their development.  It is crucial for schools to actively promote a school environment that encourages kids who are struggling socially and experiencing bullying to seek help.  It is also crucial for that help to be available.  Too often children who tried to get help were dismissed and bullying was seen as normal childhood behavior.  For kids to love school it needs to be a place they feel safe, respected and listened to.  It also needs to be a place they can develop healthy friendships that enrich their lives.

Preparing Kids for School

The earlier kids are exposed to these these important strategies the better.  This includes making sure children and are socially and mentally ready as early as kindergarten.  Of course, creating beneficial learning experiences for kids as they move through the grades is a process that continually evolves.  Children are resilient and will respond to positive reinforcement at any age to assist them in being better students that want to be in school and learn.