How can I sustain a conversation with a child with whom I have nothing in common for 45 - 50 minutes!!??!!

Potential Solution 1: Try and make everything you do with a child into a game. Play Games – Games – Games.

Potential Solution 2: Ask her to name everything she sees in the room/outside the window/In a picture in English. Ask the question: What do I see? Point out. Then say: “I see a fan.” After you have demonstrated once (Please demonstrate once before asking the child to do something. Many of us expect our students or even staff and especially spouses to read our minds). The key to good communication is telling the other person exactly what you expect.

Potential Solution 3: Later, you may encourage the child to describe an object in 3 to 5 sentences. E.g.- What can you tell me about this pen/chair/tube light? Guide her to talk about different aspects of the object. We can describe an object by its uses / functions; by the materials used in it; by how it looks or appears. E.g.- Physical features/use of the object/how it works/how is it made/who uses it/When is it used, etc .First, you describe an object to a child. Encourage her to as you questions about the object.

Potential Solution 4: Please use your judgment and sensitivity here. Do not use pictures that are offensive or gory. Show the child pictures of people or cut-outs from the newspaper or magazines. Ask him questions on how the characters are feeling? Ask him why he thinks so? Take a photograph / picture (or picture book) with multiple characters and you describe the feelings of one of the character. Encourage the child to speak in sentences. Help the child along as he / she forms the sentence. Applaud and appreciate when he / she completes the sentence (even though it was with your help). Then ask the child to repeat the sentence. Monitor and provide feedback. Make corrections as you go along.

Potential Solution 5: Play the game of “Word Antakshari” with the children. Ask them to name an object. For example - “Pen”…the next child has to name an object with N….”Nail”….the third child has to say something with L….Lion etc etc. And the show goes on …

Problem 1: I do not know how to start a conversation with the child?

Potential Solution 1: Introduce yourself and ask the child to introduce himselfTell him the purpose of this session and ask him what he expects to learn

Potential Solution 2: Make up an imaginary reason or excuse for the meeting. It could be a fun thing. This will definitely make the child smile if not laugh). That is always a good start. Remember – a smile is the shortest distance between two people. You are basically asking how do I reduce this gap / distance. Create smiles as you can during the meeting.

Potential Solution 3: Play the game “dumb charades.” Tell the child that you will enact something (a simple action word such as the action of - flying) and the child will have to guess the right word. The child can guess in any language. You can ask the child to say it in “English.” Help the child in finding the right word. Then, make the child do the same thing – enact a word and you guess it. Make mistakes and let the child teach you.