Teach Elementary Students to Follow Directions
Tips for Increasing Attention Span and Listening Skills
Nov 10, 2009
The ability to follow directions is important when it comes to doing homework, taking test, independent learning, social factors, and safety. Children often have a difficult time following directions if the instructions given are too long or dull in nature. The following activities can be used to help increase attention span and listening skills, and ultimately the ability to better follow directions.
Teach Children How to Read Directions and Follow Steps with Magic Tricks
Have the students read the directions for how to perform the magic trick The Jumping Paper Clips. If the students are successful at following the directions, the paper clips will jump off the dollar bill and be connected, but if the students do not follow the directions correctly, the paper clips will not be linked.
Use Art to Teach Children How to Pay Attention to Details
Think of an object, person, or animal for the students to draw, but do not show them a picture of it. Describe the object in detail and have the students draw what they hear. When the students are finished, show them the original picture and compare it to their drawings. The students can also be partnered up, with one child describing an object while the other is drawing it. In this activity, students will learn the importance of giving good directions as well as following directions. A good example of this can be found at the Monster Exchange.
Use Origami to Help Children Master Following Directions Step by Step
Students will have to follow directions step by step in order to fold paper into animals, figures, and/or objects. The instructions can be simple for young children or more complex for older students depending on the type of Origami selected.
Play Games That Require Children to Listen and Pay Attention
Games like Simon Says and Mother May I require students to be active listeners and follow certain commands. Students who don't follow the directions will either be eliminated or have to start from the beginning. Both games require the participant to pay close attention to what is being said.
Teach Children Note Taking Skills to Summarize Important Information
When giving directions, have the students take notes on what they are instructed to do. By taking notes, the student will have to concentrate on what the speaker is saying and summarize that information, which requires a deeper understanding of the content.
Teaching students to follow directions requires a bit of persistence and patience on the educators' part.
Every child learns and processes information differently. Kinesthetic learners like to carry out physical activities. Visual learners prosper when they can see images and techniques. Auditory learners succeed when things are read out loud. By using games, magic tricks, instructions, and art to teach elementary students how to follow the directions, each of the three techniques for processing information is used, which better enables the student to understand what is being asked of them.
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