Helping Your Child Master the Art of Public Speaking

Public speaking intimidates even the most confident people. Children often find public speaking like reading aloud to their classmates or giving a presentation to be a chore. They have to build speaking skills from scratch. It’s difficult to learn to be a good public speaker without knowing what makes a good public speaker. Students are often given vague directions, like to stand up straighter, project, and be more confident, but many need help getting there. Here’s how we recommend helping your child master public speaking: 

Build Their Confidence

Nothing helps children develop confidence as speakers more than feeling like they’re being listened to in everyday life. Give them time to talk about their lives, and let them make small mistakes rather than challenging their ideas. This will help build their confidence in daily life. See if you can model confident behaviors, approaching stressful situations in a calm, decisive manner. This will help you and your child see that you can be confident, too. 

Play Word Games

One example of a speech-improving word game is the “Woof” Game. Take a common word like “this” or “the,” and have your child replace it with the word “woof.” For example, rather than saying “This is a duck,” your child would say “Woof is a duck.” This game will help them learn to improvise and think on their feet. It will also make them laugh, which should take some of the stress out of practicing the big speech. 

Debate with Them

Consider a topic your child is very passionate about. It could be something silly like homework or video games, or something more serious like what to do about world hunger. Let them pick their side, and give them 30 seconds to argue for their own side. Offer a rebuttal, and keep going until they’re out of arguments. When they’ve started feeling comfortable, have them argue the opposite side. This will help make them confident that they can talk about anything, even if it’s not what they believe. This also strengthens their critical thinking, as they have to understand an opposing viewpoint. 

Give Feedback After the Speech

Let your child practice their speech in front of you. If they struggle, just give them the time they need to get through it. At the end, give feedback and ask questions. If they have a full understanding of what they’re giving a speech about, that will help them give it to the audience. See if you can think of positives and areas for improvement so you can help them do better the next time. Thoughtful feedback goes a long way in helping children learn. 

Giving speeches, offering presentations or even reading to a classroom can be scary, but with these tools, children can have a little more confidence when they reach the lectern. At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

How Faith-Based Education Helps Children Thrive

Education creates opportunities for children, but not all schools are created equal. For some, public school education gives them plenty of opportunity. Others find that faith-based schools, with smaller class sizes and faith-integrated instruction, give them a better chance at success. These schools offer a level of structure, community and hope that children may not find elsewhere. Here’s how private faith-based education can help students become the best version of themselves. 

Emphasis on Character

Students who attend faith-based schools have a built-in foundation for morals and ethics. In the case of Christian schools, that foundation is the Bible. Students share values with their teachers and one another based on Biblical principles. This allows them to develop a strong sense for character while they learn about the world around them. When students have questions about the rules, there will always be a strong reference for teachers to cite.

Community Atmosphere

Children at faith-based schools attend classes with like minded students, teachers and staff. Smaller class sizes give students the opportunity to know each other and their teachers on a personal level. Extracurricular activities tend to be more focused in private schools, where clubs, teams and other organizations have fewer students than those in public schools. Community is a priority at these schools, and the sense of community is strong because of a shared set of core beliefs.

Stable Environment

Private education allows for more individualized attention, which creates a stable learning environment for children. This makes learning easier, especially when children have questions about the material. Each child has the opportunity to ask questions, which encourages deeper learning. Adding in an element of faith creates even more stability for some. With faith as a guide, students can make difficult decisions about their personal lives based on what they learned in school. 

Exploration of Faith

In public schools, education and faith are kept largely separate. Faith-based schools allow children to dive deeper into their religions. Christian schools integrate Bible lessons into everyday classes. This gives students the opportunity to understand their faith better and see each subject from various perspectives. This extends outside the classroom. Christian school students feel valued because each one is treated as a unique child of God. 

Children who attend faith-based schools learn about the world and their faith at the same time, which helps them prosper in life. At our Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

5 Great Books for First-Time Readers

Children have the easiest time relating to books that take them on fun adventures while teaching simple lessons. When a child starts reading for the first time, it’s important to find books that keep them engaged. Illustrated books provide the best context for those who are just learning to read by fully immersing them in the story. Here are five books we recommend for first-time readers:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle 

The classic children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle follows the story of a caterpillar who eats his way through a week’s worth of food before becoming a butterfly. With colorful illustrations, pop-ups and holes, this book can hold any new reader’s attention. From this book, children can learn about days of the week and life cycles of different creatures. This creature-driven book is often cited as one of the best children’s books of all time. Since being published in 1969, this book has sold more than 40 million copies and inspired generations of children.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss 

“I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I Am.” Like many of Dr. Seuss’s works, Green Eggs and Ham charms audiences of all ages while teaching children a lesson. The unnamed main character resists Sam I Am’s attempts to get him to try a new dish, green eggs and ham. The story rhymes throughout, which can help new readers sound out the words and adds to its sense of humor. Like the rhyming narrative, the illustrations are bright-colored, whimsical and surreal. At the end of the book, the main character tries the food he refused to eat and enjoys it, just like many young picky eaters.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 

Children with adventurous spirits can see themselves in Where the Wild Things Are. A young boy named Max wreaks havoc around the house while dressed in a wolf costume, and his mother sends him to bed without dinner. When he enters his bedroom, it’s mysteriously turned into a jungle environment. Max sails to an island inhabited by beasts. After intimidating them and becoming their king, he runs around with them causing ruckus. He starts feeling lonely and makes his way back to his real-life room, where a hot dinner awaits him. With beautiful illustrations and a heartwarming lesson, children and parents alike enjoy this story. 

Verdi by Janell Cannon 

In the book Verdi, a young yellow python doesn’t want to grow up. Verdi enjoys being yellow with black stripes, slithering quickly across the rainforest floor and jumping across the sky. All the green snakes seem lazy and boring, and Verdi doesn’t want to be like them. When he sees the first sign of green on his body, he tries to get rid of it, but he eventually turns green and realizes that he can still be himself. The illustrations in this book not only help tell Verdi’s story but also give a glimpse into rainforest environments with other animals that live there. Even children who fear snakes can relate to Verdi’s struggle of finding who they are. 

Corduroy by Don Freeman 

Corduroy tells the story of a small teddy bear who lives on a department store shelf. Corduroy spends his days sitting around waiting for a child’s friendship. A little girl named Lisa wants to buy him, but her mother doesn’t want to spend the money. She points out that the bear is missing a button. Once the store closes, Corduroy goes on an adventure to find his missing button. Lisa returns to the store with the money from her piggy bank, buys Corduroy, and sews a button on him after bringing him home. It turns out that both Lisa and Corduroy were looking for a friend. This story provides many life lessons, like saving money and not judging by appearances. 

At North Tampa Christian Academy, a private school in Wesley Chapel, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Tips for Acing Standardized Tests

Test taking can be intimidating, even for the smartest students. There always seems to be too much time to anxiously anticipate the upcoming test and not enough time to study for it. If your child struggles with standardized tests, know that he’s not alone. Many students find these tests intimidating. Our Tampa private school has tips for acing the next standardized test:

Prepare Ahead of Time

Just like any test, standardized tests are easier if you study. Practice tests are available for most standardized tests, as well as guides to taking them. Check in advance if guessing will count for or against your overall score. The night before the test, make sure to get plenty of sleep. The morning of, eat a hearty breakfast, and pack your bag with extra pencils. To take stress out of the experience, arrive early, and take deep breaths beforehand to stay calm. Preparing for the test mentally and physically gives you an advantage.

Start with the Easiest Questions

When taking a long test, it seems obvious that you would answer the questions in order. However, starting with the easiest questions has several benefits. First, you will get through the test faster. When you waste time on difficult questions, you risk running out of time, and you lose momentum. Skipping around to questions you know the answer to helps boost your confidence, which will make it easier to go back and answer the more difficult questions in a timely manner.

Read Through the Answers Carefully

Before reading through the answers to a question, consider how you would answer. If you know the right answer before reading the options, you will be more confident when your theory is confirmed. Consider all the options carefully, keeping in mind that these tests are meant to be tricky. Eliminate any choices that are obviously wrong before answering the question. This way, you don’t waste time reconsidering or doubting yourself, and you narrow down your options. 

Pay Attention to Long Questions

When long questions come up on a test, it can be tempting to skim them and move on to the easier multiple choice questions. However, going through quickly and carelessly will end up taking more time, since you will likely have to re-read what you’ve skimmed. Read the instructions carefully to make sure you understand the context and know how to answer the question. Highlight key points to make it easier to answer the question fully. This can also save you time if you find yourself needing to reread the question.

Pace Yourself

If you’re being timed, it’s tempting to get through the task at hand as fast as possible. With a long-form test, this can lead to careless mistakes, like marking wrong answers or skipping questions. If you feel like you’re racing the clock, the process will become more stressful, which can be detrimental to your performance. Figure out a good pace by taking a timed practice test in advance. If you end up with leftover time, use it to review your answers. Even if you feel confident, there’s no harm in looking back and making sure you did not make any glaring mistakes. 

At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, the faculty, staff, and families work as a team. Our service-oriented approach builds Christian leaders who think deeply, choose wisely, create beauty, and use their dreams to solve problems. Want to learn more about what makes us different? Contact us today.