Help!!!! Coaching 5-7 year olds

[littleshortie]

I'm sixteen years old, this is my fist year coaching gymnastics. I have a little advanced class of 5-7 year olds. The kids that I'm coaching are alway running all over the place and not listening to me. The kids do not respect me. I need a way to better discipline them. Maybe some advice of how to keep them more busy as well. Over all I love coaching but this one class makes me not want to go to work. I love being in the gym and coaching and I don't want to throw it away because of one class. I need help!

 

[gymnut1]

Write a really good lesson plan for this class with more activities than you actually need so you can keep them busy. Discipline wise you have to make the leap from friend/ big sister to teacher. At the beginning of the lesson explain to them that before you start each activity you want them to sit/ stand in a line and be ready to listen. Make it a little challenge 'now guys can you line up and be ready to listen in 10 seconds. Off you go' As each child complies you announce 'well done Sally etc' until they are all sitting and listening. Stuff like 'oh Casey was first, oh no who is going to be last' Lots of Well dones when they do it. If it is a big class split them into teams and give points for the first team to be ready each time. Best team gets a small reward (jump in pit etc) The key to this is to wait until they are all listening which can take time at first but don't worry. You need to be stronger minded than them to win this little battle and once you win it things will be easier.
It might work with a big class to have a hand signal (like 2 hands up in the air or on the top of your head) which when they see you do it they line up in their teams. That way you don't have to shout. You can practise that during the warm up. Let them run around and when you make the signal they line up in their teams. If you feel like a drill or activity is getting out of hand don't be afraid to stop them and line them up again and explain why you have stopped them. Keep Calm and good luck - you can do it.

 

[littleshortie]

Thank you so much for the ideas. Cant wait to get back to the gym and try them out!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

or you can velcro them to the floor mat and release each one when it's their turn.

 

[BlairBob]

set the tone frm monent one

have them line up
g
send the ones that dont to sit near the wall or wallsit/pushup hold. when that doesnt work, send them to the stands, home or office. tell them we can talk to your parents after class or shape up

follow an ordered warmup/stretch.

no bs
coping device to stress relief

 

[pattymello]

or you can velcro them to the floor mat and release each one when it's their turn.

This is really the only sensible way to do it.

 

[littleshortie]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

 

[iwannacoach]

With kids this age, you really have to be the center of attention. I wouldn't suggest that you become a circus clown, but I'd bet you anything if one (clown) walked into the gym you would become nearly invisible to them. You get that??? Please don't take this next statement as a knock on you....It's not so much that the kids don't respect you, it's that you are not relevant. You are not, in their minds the reason they are there....none of us are until we figure out a way to make them beg for our attention. Think gymnastics super hero, sports figure or what ever you can come up with. It's not as hard as you'd believe, all you have to do is go back 11 years in time to when you were their age and become a part of their group. Once you are a part of their group you can earn your leadership role instead of just being some random grown up telling them what not to do. Accept a few losses as you do this as it may take one or two classes to get it happening.

So please continue to earn the respect I already have for you. I think it's amazing that you are trying to find help to work better with these kids, and believe me I had to go through the same process. It all ended for me when a mother of two DD's (ages just turned four and been five a while) that I really enjoyed had a private conversation with me to let me know that her daughters didn't want to come to class any more because I was too strict. So I figured that if I didn't do something I'd lose the two best behaved kids. So at the ripe age of twenty-eight I got off my level 10 & elite horse and started to have fun with this 4-5 year old class. What happened?, I started to enjoy teaching this age level for the first time in my 6 year career and, wouldn't you know it, the kids learned more gymnastics by accident then they did with a structured environment. I really believe that kids this age learn through play, because that's what kids this age do.

So see if you can keep the kids out of the way so they don't hurt kids from some other class, keep your own class safe, and have fun doing stuff with movement, height, and flight. Most of their parents will be happier because their kids want to be there so much more than before. Over time you can add more structure and gymnastics into your class activities.

Good luck!

 

[Kiwi]

I had the same problem with a class that age age last year, although they were not at all advanced. Not sure I really solved it completely. It is good if you can have a signal that works to get their attention, such as the hand-clapping rhythms that teachers use. For children that are being really disruptive or disobeying instructions, you can sit them out, as children don't like to be excluded. Unfortunately, there will always be some kids who just never seem to learn from this. Try not to take it personally, many kids this age have very poor impulse control.

You do need a balance, not being too harsh with them, as it is supposed to be enjoyable for them. Gymnut1 had great advice about using positive examples and a bit of healthy competition to be the best behaved ("let's see who can sit as beautifully as Susie", "which team can get lined up first", etc.). Having some fun with them is also good advice. Lots of praise and encouragement when they do what you want.

I like Dunno's idea of the velcro. Ideally they would come with a remote control including a pause button and a mute button.

 

[mommyof1]

The teen instructors at my daughter's gym use the following strategies with great success:

1. When the kids start to get out of hand, say "If you're listening, do ___" (e.g., put your hands on your head). The ones who are not listening quickly start wondering why everyone else's hands are on their heads and quiet down so they can figure out what's going on.
2. If you are working with the kids one at a time, make the ones who are waiting sit down instead of standing in line, or give them a simple activity to do in place (e.g., practice cartwheels between two hula hoops instead of down a line).
3. Split up friends and "talkers" into different groups.
4. Dole out LOTS of praise for focus, effort, and following instructions.

I don't think it's necessary to turn yourself into a circus clown to get the attention of 5 - 7 year-olds. Most kids this age love getting praise and attention from teens and young adults, and if you consistently praise positive behavior most of the kids will soon be falling all over themselves to please you. One of the assistant instructors in my daughter's class is about your age and very soft-spoken, but she is actually more successful than the high-energy adult coach in charge of the class at getting the little ones to pay attention. It appears to be because she is careful about limiting their opportunities to get distracted and start climbing on things, uses a very structured lesson plan, and praises the kids for listening and following directions.

You must also be very strict about safety rules. If a little kid climbs on equipment she's not supposed to be using, crosses the vault runway, or runs in front of/under another gymnast or group, she could hurt another gymnast along with herself. Unsafe behavior requires an immediate and specific reprimand in a serious tone of voice, and appropriate punishment such as a time-out or the loss of a turn. Parents will not be mad at you--they will appreciate it.

 

[littleshortie]

Wow this is great advice!!! Thank you so much. I'm used to strict parents and coaching. That is probably why I'm strict with them. It is very true that kids at that age just want to have fun. Thank you so much for telling me your story to help me improve my coaching

 

[littleshortie]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Cant wait to try all of them out!!

 

[Omari]

great point, you just discussed. Actually, the kids have their own psychology and thinking style.
I believe that each forthcoming generation of human is 3x more intelligent and well developed as far
as the brain is concerned. They can think beyond what you do. So, hope you got the idea.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

I agree with keeping it fun. One of DD5's coaches is 16 (and her favorite), probably because she can relate to them better then some of the older coaches. She has fun with them, and is quick to redirect when they start losing focus. Setting up stations so they all have something to do is big too. A lot of standing around, waiting for turns, etc seems to get them focused more on each other then the gym. As kids get older their attention span gets better, right now I think my DD's can only get longer! ;-) You must be pretty good if your teaching an advanced class, show them what you can do and become a role model. Good luck, and come back to tell us how it went!

 

[SGMOM]

One of my daughters coaches kept a small, self inking stamp with her. She would stamp a kid or two when they were doing well / following directions. The girls all wanted the most stamps. She put them on their "good leg" ankle, so it helped them remember that too.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Lots of great advice already.
1- keep them active and busy, don't expect them to wait in line for a long time or wait turns for along time. Set up lots of stations so they are moving all the time. When they are idle the trouble starts.
2- be very organized, have your class plan set before you go do you aren't searching around for what to do next know exactly what you ae doing.
3- use lots of praise and positive reinforcement. Kids who think they are doing well usually work harder and behave better.
4- with kids you don't get what you want you get what you focus on. If you give the bad behavior lots of attention then you get more bad behavior, if you give the good behavior lots of attention then you get more good behavior. Next time there is a problem instead of straight away jumping on the kid who is playing up, praise a kid who is doing the right thing. Kids will do whatever it takes to get the attention. Make it easier to get attention in your class with good behavior than with bad.
5- if kids are playing up the first step is to redirect in a positive way. For example "Ashley come and show me how high you can cast", " ok guys who can do the best jumps", "I'm looking for the best knees and toes" and so on.
6- when giving kids instructions focus on what you DO want them to do and not what you don't want them to do. For example instead of saying "Chloe you're not supposed to be on the equipment" say " Chloe come and line up with the others".
7- use a positive voice most of the time, upbeat and exciting. If you need to discipline change your tone to a firm lower tone. Don't yell.
8- if they are being loud, speak quietly don't try to talk over the top of them. If you are loud they will get louder too, if you are queit they will have to be quiet to listen.
9- have a set consequence for misbehaviour (like a time out spot) and use it every time they misbehave. If you keep trying to change the consequences each time the kids will keep testing you just to see what you will do next. If it is always the same it will get boring and predictable. I would use time out with this age over something like push ups because they enjoy push ups.
10- if you are going to use time out, give a warning first. Then the child has a chance to fix their behavior first and if it does happen they understand why. But only give 1 warning, if you give to many warnings once again you will be tested.
11- have fun, this age love fun and enjoy just doing gymnastics.