ELEMENTARY TUTORING: BUILDING FOUNDATIONS, REACHING NEW HEIGHS
Do young children in first or second grade need a tutor? How do you tell if an elementary student is struggling? What if your third grader is a voracious reader, or a math wiz, but gets bored in class? When does it make sense to tutor—during the school year, or when school is out? Parents of very young children often ask us these questions, and the answers aren’t always obvious.
We’ve talked previously about how to decide when to hire a tutor, but with elementary students there are unique factors to consider, and unique ways that we can help. At LTLS, what tutors offer goes beyond expertise in math, English, and homework help: they reinforce lifelong skills, such as patience, self-advocacy, and goal-setting. For many uniquely individual young people, personalized tutoring can be an amazing opportunity.
WHEN SHOULD I HIRE AN ElEMENTARY TUTOR?
Teachers and child development experts consistently suggest that young children continue reading, writing, or practicing math outside of school hours and while on break. In busy families, making time for this—or battling an unenthusiastic eight-year-old—can make parents cringe. While they may do their best to read nightly bedtime stories, or listen to audiobooks in the car, things like adding and subtracting, or crafting paragraphs, can drop to the wayside. Often, parents explore options for educational camps, but the dates may not align with other plans or commitments. Similar to bootcamps, a tutor can help provide lively, learning-based enrichment.
TUTORINH IS FLEXIBLE
For younger students, tutoring can focus on the specific needs of each child and family. Children may attend once or multiple times a week, can increase visits during school breaks, and can take time off when out-of-town guests or family vacations make scheduling hard.
Whether it is best to start tutoring right away or wait to see how a student does on their own will depend on the individual student. Elementary age students can gain valuable experience from tackling manageable challenges. They may, however, still need an appropriate amount of support from adults, which is different for every child. A tutor can work with a family to provide consistent, professional support, one-on-one lessons, and coaching to develop the skills needed for lifelong learning. If a student’s needs change, tutoring sessions at LTLS are not bound to a yearly schedule and can start mid-year or pause and resume at a later date.
TAILORED TO YOUNG STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC NEEDS AND CURIOSITIES
Topics covered can be specifically tailored to individual students. For example, a student who struggles with reading might go back over phonics and letter sounds. Children can review without feeling embarrassed in front of their peers. On the other hand, a child who excels in math and doesn’t feel challenged in school might feed their curiosity through exploring math with a tutor. Some students spend time with tutors researching topics of interest and writing about it in a variety of formats. Tutors can encourage independent reading and help complete assignments or goals.
Finally, specific student skills which will aid in future academic success can be addressed through tutoring. Young children can learn to begin taking notes; they can summarize readings; or they can practice writing math problems neatly. Since the focus of LTLS is to build trust with our students, students are encouraged to ask questions in a way that is free from judgement and fosters intellectual exploration.