Good to Know: If at First You Don't Succeed...

One struggle when teaching adapted classes is getting the participants to participate. Depending on the range of abilities and communication skills, it can be difficult to know what is stopping

kids from following instruction or even enjoying the song or class. It is important to know your audience and understand their limitations. Is the music too loud? Is it difficult to get up and down off the floor? Is the last song their favorite? If you are watching and have done a little bit of homework, you can answer some of these questions yourself.

The biggest thing to remember when working with children with special needs is that if they are not participating you can make it fun for them. Some days are better than others, and some songs are better than others, if you notice there is something more enjoyed, repeat the song. If it’s hard to move in a certain way, create a fun distraction or reward to help them do the work that needs to be done, but wrap it in a fun package so it doesn’t seem like work.

Notice the different personalities and let that work in your favor, use the leader in the group and give them a responsibility, see the friend in the group to help the one who is quiet. Reward accomplishments whether large or small. You, are the leader, if the class isn’t going well it's ok to switch things up- remember you can a lot learn when you fail- FAIL is not one of those 4 letter words, it’s an opportunity to see what works and what works better.