How can teachers quickly gain students' trust in themselves during their first meeting
Time:2026-01-08
Source:Artstep
When I first met a stranger child and handed them a small snack, the child timidly hid behind their parents; The child kept praising their intelligence, but their eyes dodged and they showed no response.
In the end, not only did it fail to bring the child closer, but it also made the subsequent teaching interaction awkward and difficult. In fact, quickly establishing a good impression with unfamiliar children never relies on material temptations or empty praise
These 'routine operations' are pushing children away.
Many teachers are accustomed to using the social logic of the adult world to interact with children, but they do not realize that these practices can actually create resistance in children.
Firstly, using snacks to "buy" children is the least advisable approach.
In the context of education and training, children are already wary of unfamiliar environments. Snacks may cause them to become anxious about whether or not to accept things from strangers, and even lead some children to form a utilitarian cognition that "interacting with teachers is for the sake of snacks", while ignoring the teaching content itself.
Secondly, blindly praising intelligence can bring pressure to children.
When a teacher says "You're so smart" to a child they just met, most children feel confused - why are we being evaluated as smart when we haven't done anything yet? This kind of vague praise can create psychological burden for children, who are worried that their subsequent poor performance will "disappoint" this evaluation, and thus choose to avoid interaction
Finally, excessive physical contact can trigger resistance in children. Many teachers believe that touching their heads can reflect closeness, but for unfamiliar children, this unauthorized physical contact can trigger their safety defense mechanisms, causing them to instinctively retreat and dodge.
3 small steps to encourage children to approach actively
Step 1: Use "parallel interaction" to eliminate the sense of distance
When children enter unfamiliar institutions, their attention is often drawn to the surrounding environment or toys. At this moment, instead of chasing after the child and asking 'What's your name?', it's better to join their world.
For example, when we see a child playing with building blocks, we can pick up a block and build it nearby, whispering, "This castle is missing a chimney, let's give it a try. This kind of non coercive and non disruptive parallel interaction will make children feel that we are "the same kind" and "partners", rather than adults who need to be vigilant.
Step 2: Replace vague praise with "specific feedback"
When a child completes a small action, such as drawing a simple picture or building a small house, instead of saying "you're amazing", it's better to describe the details we see: "You drew purple leaves for the grass, this idea is so special" "The house you built has two doors, are you afraid that small animals won't be able to enter.
Specific feedback can make children feel genuine attention and also stimulate their desire to share, actively telling us more ideas.
Step 3: Empower children with a sense of control through the power of choice
In educational and training settings, children's unfamiliarity with the environment can make them crave a sense of control. We can provide children with limited choices, such as "We can play puzzles first or read picture books first. Which one do you want to choose?" "Do you want to sit on the blue chair or the yellow chair. This small power makes children feel respected, allowing them to lower their guard faster and be willing to cooperate with their teachers.
For education and training practitioners, the accumulation of good feelings when meeting children for the first time can not only make subsequent teaching smoother, but also make children have positive expectations for learning, and the premise of all of this is that children are willing to open up.
When we set aside the purpose of 'I want my child to like me' and instead think about 'what the child wants to do now' and 'how to interact with the child', we can quickly gain the child's trust.
In fact, the world of children is very simple: whoever can understand their language, respect their rhythm, and do interesting things with them, they
Meanwhile, we can also do the following:
1. Remember and use the child's name:
This is the most fundamental and important step. Calling out a child's name will make them feel valued. You can use opportunities such as morning check ups, roll calls, and answering questions to deliberately memorize.
2. Talk about topics that interest them:
After class, you can chat with your child about their favorite cartoon characters, recent cartoons, new clothes they are wearing, and so on. For example, if you see a child wearing a blue dress, you can say, 'Wow, your dress looks like Elsa's. Do you also live in the castle?'? ”
3. Seek help from children more often:
Don't take care of everything yourself. You can ask your child to help with sending and receiving homework, organizing materials, etc. Even mischievous children can feel happy and proud of being "valued".
4. Communicate in an equal manner:
When talking to a child, you can squat or semi squat and keep your gaze parallel to theirs. Use more questions like 'Do you think it's okay?' and 'Shall we try it together?' to make him feel respected.