PREP TIME:

VIPKid provides all teachers with the materials for each class – a set of slides. All you need to get is a few props make activities more fun and engaging. It can be as easy as a few print-outs, one of your pet’s toys or random thins you have around the house. Here is a link where I get several of my props!

This means very little prep time and room for creativity. For example, you can add in extra games; I’ve had a few students LOVE tic-tac-toe. You can also have your own reward system (which i ALWAYS use, it’s more fun for the students and you don’t have to scroll back to the reward slide).

HOW LONG DO I PREPARE FOR A CLASS?

On average, teachers only spend 3-10 minutes preparing per lesson. When you first start teaching you may need a bit longer, but soon after you will need no time at all because you will teach lessons more than once. I bought a few cloth bins from the Dollar Store and will sort my upcoming classes into each bin; I’ll sort out the rewards and props I use per bin, it’s super helpful, especially for those early morning classes!

WHAT I DO BEFORE CLASS:

I look through the slides, get a few props together, and have questions to ask ready. I will separate each class into pile and label them with a post-it. Then I’ll write some questions on a flashcard in case I blank out haha. Now that I have regular students, I have learned a lot about them and the conversations flows naturally – it comes with time!

ORGANIZING YOUR CLASSROOM:

Everyone has different organizational styles, here are some tips that worked for me:

• Post-Its – Besides loving post-its in general, I find them extremely helpful when getting ready for upcoming classes. Whether it’s creating small piles of each class with student’s names on them or a list of my upcoming classes, post-its are perfect.
• Baskets – I picked up a few cloth baskets from the dollar store; I designate one tote for one class, add a post-it with the student’s name and toss in the props I’ll be using for that lesson. Bonus: they’re cute and cheap! Target is another great place to look, they have a great dollar section too!
• Flashcards – When I teach, especially when I first started, flashcards saved me! Some students love to talk, making it easy to reach the 25min. Others can be shy so I write questions on flashcards so I constantly have things to talk about. Examples: What is your favorite color? What is the weather like in China? How many girls/boys do you see in the picture?
• Hanging file folders – I stumbled upon this wall organizer. I use this to organize my props, each folder has a label; Animals, Food, School, Vocabulary, Rewards
• Calendar – This whiteboard calendar has been a true life-saver! Making my VIPKid schedule fit in with everyday life was tough until I got this. I write my morning classes in pink and night classes in blue.

PROPS:

This is my favorite part of prepping! I love creating reward systems; I never want a student to have the same reward system – BORING! But if you’re not a fan of making things, click this link to get props that are ready for you to use, they also have instant download versions too (the best of both worlds).

MY ‘EVERY LESSON’ PROPS:

I keep a small tote with my ‘every lesson props’. This includes a few flashcards (feelings and weather), my puppy puppet or a doll (depending on the student) and Mr. Potato Head because all of my students love him!

• Feelings (happy, sad, silly, angry, hungry, thirsty, sleepy, body parts, numbers, ect.)
• Puppets (honestly, I’m not a puppet person but once I tried it, my students was so engaged it made it worth it! Now I can’t stop using it) Here is the one I have 🙂
• Mr. Potato Head is a cheap prop I got on Amazon – I use him to teach body parts and as a puppet

OTHER PROPS:

• Dolls or Puppets – A doll or puppet goes a long way with the students, you can do voices or dance with them when they get an answer correct, they love it! (Here is the puppy I use)
• A Ball – A ball can be used in many ways; the color, shape or even just as a ball. I use one of my dog’s tennis balls so I didn’t have to buy anything! 🙂
• Flashcards – Flashcards are great to have on hand, whether it’s numbers, letters, body parts or vocabulary words, you will use these all the time!
• Mini Whiteboard – This is a great way to show how words are pronounced. For example; -ill. Write ‘-ill’ on the whiteboard then add a ‘B’ and say “Bill”… Erase the ‘B’ and add a ‘W’ and say “will”…etc. Click this link to get one similar to mine.

REWARD SYSTEM:

Definitely have a reward system! This can be print outs of unicorns or monster trucks; stacking scoops of ice cream on a cone or animals going to the zoo. Click the link to get some more ideas!

At the beginning of each lesson, VIPKid has a Reward System slide that you can use but I highly suggest making or buying your own reward system. With their system you will have to go back and forth throughout the lesson and students do not find this as rewarding as physical props. Instead, I use the Reward System slide to introduce the reward system I will use.

Ex. I like to give the student a choice; “When you do a good job, do you want unicorns or monsters?”

Feel free to reach out to me anytime:
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