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- Although they are still young for them to understand or even talk due to them still being a play group kids, there are times where I need to communicate with them like “ let’s do this, “yeay good job” and “let’s wash our hands” are some conversation I had with them.

- I learnt that being an EC educator means you need to have more than one plan ready at the back of your mind. If plan A doesn’t go as plan, you need to go with plan B. Especially when you are dealing with play group, their mood tend to change in an instant and you have to attend to their needs first before proceeding with lessons that has been planned.

- I learnt that in times where things get chaotic, we can’t fully depend on our leader to lead or take instructions from. If they are dealing with something else, I have to step up and be confident with what I should do next. Things like “guys let’s go and set up the material first” are some small things that we should step up for.

- I think I shouldn’t follow the child too much without saying a word because that’s where they will feel very uncomfortable.

- I should praise the children more for all the little things they made because that’s where they feel like they succeed in doing something.

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i asked for the children’s names and taught them how to identify the animals to their children and match them. when they matched the animals correctly, i will say good job and high five them. i had lots of fun with the children battling with “monsters.”

i learned that i have to handle lots of children at a time and keep them in control which can be quite hard as in our group we have 7 people and we were handling 6 children and we still couldnt  keep them in control. i also learned that when children are not willing to listen we should give them space first.

i learned that im a good support for my team for example during the storytelling i hyped up the children and my group mate that is doing the storytelling. i can step out of my comfort zone to speak up around the children

i will give them space to do things by themselves. and organised the activities better so we can control them better and not let it be so messy.

i will continue being patient with the children and asking them questions during the storytelling like what is that animal. and giving them encouragements when they managed to identify the animals and match the animals

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

N1 was the group of children I conducted the lesson with. The kind of conversations I had with the children were mostly about the activity they were doing. Most of them weren't able to talk yet so their replies were short and simple, and I tried my best to communicate with them by asking about the turtle they decorated. I asked them questions about the colour and shape, and also about how they're feeling.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

The bond between yourself and the child is important. I observed that the children were very shy and quiet when we first came in and tried to communicate with them. They were a lot more comfortable with their educators. It took time for them to adjust and open up to us throughout the time we had.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

I never thought that I would be able to handle a group of children. I always thought that I would panic and be very nervous when I need to lead a group of children.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

I realised that bending down and being in the same eye level with the children helped them feel more comfortable with me.

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1) N1 2-3
Do you like turtles? Why are you not with your friends? Do you want to colour the turtle with your friends?

2) Even though the children were about the same ages their personalities were very different.
I assumed they behaved about the same way.

3) I helped to keep an eye on the children who were not joining in the activity which allowed the rest of my teammates to focus on the children whom are participating.

4) I was being a bit less vocal as I was unused to being in a preschool situation and because I was a male student so I was unsure as to how far I was able to relate and get close to the children.

5) I was able to get close to some children to the point they got comfortable and was able to approach me and share their after product of the turtle and showed it off to me and was always interacting with me. So I guess to be patient yet present.

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The age group that i conducted the activity with was N1. The children are really shy and may not speak as much but as they start to get more comfortable they do get more vocal. The conversations were really short but they were mainly about our activity. For example, " turtle! that is a turtle! " or like " i want red. i want colour my turtle red ". I learnt that the children are easily entertained, even if its by themselves. Before this experience, i have always thought that children have to be entertained by the educators non-stop because children may have shorter tempers but today i learnt that i don't have to converse with them all the time and interact with them. Sometimes they just want us to listen to them while they talk about their imaginations and creativity. This then also allows them to improve their social and emotional development as well. Something that i learnt about myself today is that i can actually converse really well and hold their attentions.I was able to get the children who were uninterested to participate and those who were upset to smile. I was able to play with the children and make them laugh and some if the children from the other side even came over just to join in. I am usually more soft spoken and i often find difficulty in finding the right words to use but today i even shocked myself for being able to step out of my comfort zone. There is not anything in particular that i wouldn't want to repeat as the overall experience has been really pleasant in terms of being able to communicate and interact with them as well as get them to participate and be involved but in the future I do want to be able to improve my confidence. Something that I would apply to future experiences is  to encourage the children and let them go at their own pace. They can then feel more comfortable and involved. I noticed that a few of them were uninterested in the activity so I also approached them to talk to them and accompany them and seeing them smiling afterwards made me feel happy so I will definitely apply this to future experiences.

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

(N2) I managed to communicate with the children more, ask them about their favourite sea animals, what they like to do, play with them and ask what they are doing. One of them said making cake. I helped them build the cake. They also liked the sensory play, they love water and the ocean a lot. When it gets messy, we say ‘Gentle’, ‘Gentle! So the animals won’t get hurt and be sad’, ‘Clean up’ song and ‘raise your hands!!’ when we don’t want them to touch anything. They also played peek a boo and talked about zombie and monsters.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

It is difficult to manage children if you panic. You need to be calm to show an example and be creative. It takes LOTS of energy to match theirs and you can make simple actions like ‘Hands up!’ to stop them from touching. We should also know when they give children space and not force them to do things, we can redirect them to another fun activity or let them play alone but still watch over them.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

I helped in getting the children’s attention and setting up the activities. I think in the future i will take the lead more and support my team. I made sure that the children are with them while i cleaned the floor from the sensory play. The children managed to make me speak out more and think in a more ‘fun and expressive’ way to communicate.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

I think i stepped out of my comfort zone and i hopefully wont be too overwhelmed the next time i see them. i hesitated at first but it flowed naturally.

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

I asked them questions about themselves, i ask for their names. When they are playing alone, i sit next to them, saying hi. if they are uncomfortable, i try to stay silent and watch over them trying to not pressure of overwhelm them which makes them open up. They know i am there. They are aware. I also tried to explain to them why they needed to share as some didn’t want to..

‘Share the shapes! You have lots of shapes, how about you give one shape to him?’

Start off with one little thing to give and they will be more comfortable with sharing more. Its like an introduction to sharing. I cheer them on when they share.

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Asking the children to share and trying to make the children trade between different animals available. Asking their names and interest. ( N2 )
That an EC educator needs to be strict but know when to not push the child to doing something that they do not want to.
I took the role as a support and ensured that the children that did not wanted to participate were noticed and encouraged them to try to participate if interested.
The next time I work with children, I will definitely communicate the sample way I did today but a little stricter when needed

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1. (N2) I went up to the children one by one and asked for their names and made sure they were comfortable to talk to me first. I tried being approachable by smiling and slowly easing them into a conversation. "Hello! My name is Atiqah, how about you?" I was also able to teach and guide them in learning about the different types of animals they were playing with. Whenever they had doubts or doesn't know what animals they were playing with, they approached me and asked politely. They also approached me to ask whether I could play as a "monster" and "peekaboo" with them. The children were very sociable and friendly.

2. I didn't know that the children would be watching your every move, so you have to be vigilant and cognizant around them. Making sure of their safety and emotions.

3. I learnt that I could lead but I didn't because I wanted to let my other group mates have a chance to lead the children and interact with them. I believe I am also a good worker for the group.

4. I will try my best slowly to refrain addressing the children by "guys" and instead, "children".

5. Try to be attentive to all of the children if possible and interact with them without making anyone feel left out. Also, granting their requests to play with them.

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(Age group: K2) I interacted with one child of the class when he asked me how to draw a frog. I break my instructions down into simple steps and slowly guide him to draw a frog.

The child themselves would benefit when we guide them how to do something instead of giving them a answer. We could provide them a safe space to think and not being afraid to give the wrong answer or even try it themselves first.

I am able to support my team, as they're interacting with the children I would prepare for them the materials needed for the next activity.

I would give them a space for thoughts, where i feel that they have the idea, just that they need time to process through this thoughts and express it out. They definitely have the capability to do certain things (example: drawing) just that they need more time or certain hints (such as giving them clues to remind them of how the object they want to draw looks like)

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Age group : N2

1. What kind of conversations did you have with the children?

about toys (animals going to bite)

what they like (animals that they like)

floor is lava so the floor is hot

what time they going home, who is going to fetch them up

complain about their friends not sharing toys or disturbing them

wants attention to them playing/saying

2. What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

The plans will not go as planned so we have to improvise & act as fast as possible to the changes ( must have quick thinking & action )

3. What did you learn about yourself?

What i learn about myself is that I'm able to stay patient and able to anticipate to changes & lead my team members & connect with the children.

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1) When EC educators are short staffed they are required to remain calm and handle the children as best as they can although it was be hectic. They also require a lot of patience as some children may not want to cooperate or participate therefore we need to find other alternatives to engage the child.

2) I was able to step out my comfort zone to interact and engage children. Interacting with our peers may be different and more difficult when handling children therefore it requires more effort. I was able to remain calm and be patient to the children when they were either not cooperating, running around or fighting with one another.

3) something I wouldnt repeat was leaving a child alone to care for another child

4) something I would repeat is the patience I had for the child.

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

The conversation I had with the children includes asking their favourite colour, whether they like a certain animal like elephant, and asking them if they like to play games.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

I learnt that not only you have to be consistently be engaged with the children to make them interested, you have to understand that some of the children can listen, while some requires more patience. I have to expect that some children have more knowledge and can understand whatever I am saying while some can not. I should not expect that all children will be an active participant as more require more attention than some. Simple thing like naming themselves, could be a chore and i should not just let the “silence” be.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

I learnt that I can actually step out of my comfort zone and take lead at some point, because at first I thought that I am not able to speak up or talk to the kids from the experience I had during the dry run. Compared to the dry run, I felt that the actually experience was better.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

I will try my best not to let the children run about and be aware more of their safety.

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

Being interactive and engaging.

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(N1) I started a small conversation with them by asking what their name was and if they wanted to do the activity together with their peers.
I learn that the tone you use on the children plays a big part when communicating with them.
I waa able to deal with the small fights that the children have by talking to them nicely and making sure they feel heard.
I will not be comforting the child too much if he/she does not want to play or join the activity but instead give them space and respect their boundaries.
I will continue to use more positive words when communicating with the children rather than saying words like 'no' or 'you can't do that'.

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1. Age Grp: N1.
I managed to talk to them about songs that they like, example, the nursery rhymes, the baby shark song.

2. Being an EC educator requires you to be flexible in the job. For example, we have to be able to care for others children of different age group and not just stick to your own group. Initially, I thought that we could only stick to our own age group. I also learned that to be an EC educator, it requires fast thinking and problem solving skills in order to identify and address the situation that they are facing or the individual needs of a child in the class.

3. I took the initiative to go out first to introduce myself and my team, making sure the children were ready for us before calling over the whole group. I, too was able to support my group members in helping them with the children that they couldn't assist.

4. I was able to converse and comfort a crying child and brought them to join their other friends in doing the activity. I would definitely use these skills again for when I worked in the early childhood sector in the future.

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

getting to know then better (their name and hobbies)

asking their favourite colour, animals

asking if they know about animals life cycle (what animals do they know etc.)

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

a lot of energy and attention is needed, i have to think very fast and act quickly.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

i am better at being a good support to my group while some of them take the lead.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

I will not address the children by “you guys”

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

Using the “eyes on me” method.

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K1: we talked about ways we could use the materials to decorate differently

I learnt that it is very tiring, mentally and socially. Every child is different in terms of sociability and how they choose to do things. I was aware of it at first but i didn’t know it would be as tiring.

I learnt that i could naturally approach and attend to those who seem to be alone or drifting away from the activity and i am able to speak to them more comfortably.

i will not wear white shoes when painting

i will continue speaking comfortably with children and attend to them when they are in need or alone

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

-I had small conversations like 'can you tell me what is this?' and small talk, but mostly playing with them  and seeing them smile.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

-That being an EC educator is definitely not easy as we meet children from different backgrounds and personalities and we might feel overwhelmed,but at the end of the day the children are nice and they can adapt to us fast.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

-At first I felt uncomfortable and nervous about whether I could even speak to any child but over time i got to socialise with some children and enjoy playing with them,and they got to know me and get comfortable with me.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

-Nothing but when handling a child I must pay more attention to the head.

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

-Opening myself up and smiling more so children would not be scared of me and stay happy.Also I would stay calm and not freak out when things happen as I have classmates to support.

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- It was hard at first to communicate with them but after awhile they were able to communicate about their relationship with their parents
- I learnt that i was able to communicate with the children one on one and understand their feelings
- I was a great support to my group and able to step out of my comfort since im a bit shy
- I will start to repeat the ‘eyes on me’ to get the childrens’ attention

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i talked about the toys that the playgroup children were playing with such as the colour of the blocks. other interaction included playing around with them, asking them for high fives & post storytime

it is not easy to put a child at ease in the long term when they are crying & teachers need alot of patience

i definitely could try not to stand around & wait for someone else to step up when a child is having a breakdown & still warming up to strangers, although i did try my best to keep myself busy by helping around when nothing was happening around me

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The conversations I had with the playgroup children ranged from general chitchat and getting to know each other to more substantial matters, such as their daily lives, their interests, and their perspectives on various topics. The conversations were often light-hearted and playful, but at times, the children also engaged in deeper conversations about more serious topics, such as their relationships with their friends and family members. But most of the time i was trying to comfort the other children while my group members do the talking

Today, I learned that being an EC educator requires a high degree of patience, adaptability, emotional stamina and also strength. I also learned that EC educators must have a strong sense of problem-solving skills in order to identify and address the individual needs of each child. Additionally, EC educators need to be able to provide emotional support, as well as to build strong relationships with them in order to effectively work together in the best interest of the child and also to carry the child huhu my back was hurting but im glad the child was happy.

I learned how I rarely rely on others when im taking the lead and it felt less stressful when i knew i could rely on others for help

I havent learnt the true way to break up a fight when the children do fight (it happened jn) i did what i could to stop them by asking them to share and say sorry to each other but next time i shall ask the teacher for help

Continue to comfort and talk to them to gain their trust

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age group: k1

conversion: sharing is caring. new mermaid movie

what did i learn: it is so mentally and physically exhausting to take. care of children

what did i learn about myself: i tried to step out of my comfort zone but i did not manage to stay active and happy until the activity end

will repeat: never staying/handling children alone

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A conversation that I had with the N1 children is that I was finding it hard to hold a conversation with them as they looked at me with a blank stare and I often have to repeat myself.
I learn that being an EC educator is not easy and it requires some skills to grab the children's attention and have them to pay attention instead of playing with their own toys
I also learn that I was a good support for my team.
I will definitely not repeat the way that I kept the children waiting instead of carrying on with the activity
I will definitely repeat the way I interacted with the kids as it allows me to carry on with the activity and allow me to have a good conversation with them.

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With the K1s , it was honestly hard to get their attention especially when we just got started with the interaction as we are strangers to them . However , when the conversation started with " What's your name ? " or complimenting them for something nice that they have with them , it loosens up abit the tense of awkwardness with the children .

Through today's experince , I learnt that I am able to be one who takes initiative to get things started . When my group was overwhelmed with the number of children and have the jitters on not knowing how to get started , I took the initiative to get the conversation started with the K1s . I greeted them and made them say hello and get their attention to my group and I . When my other groupmates are giving instructions to the K1s but the children are carried away with their own conversation , I would take the initiative to get the K1's attention back like saying " K1s eyes on Ash "

One thing that I would repeat in the future is that to always relate the topic of discussion to the children's real life experience . This way the children will be more interested and attracted to have an on-going conversation with us .

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(Playgroup)

I had conversations such as,

- “What colour is this toy/paint?

- “Would you like to paint the butterfly?”

- “What animal is this?”

Something that I learnt about being an EC educator that i did not know before is that especially for playgroup, it requires a lot of time and patience to calm the child down when they first enter the centre, because their crying could almost feel like it never ends.

I learnt that I’m not really a great leader, but I am a good support for my team. Whenever I see that they are struggling to keep the children together or make them do the activity, I help assist them diligently.

Most of the time, I was discussing and being slightly rowdy with my teammates around the children. Now I learn that the children are watching our every step especially in the centre, so I shall not repeat it again in the future.

I was able to interact and play well with some of the children, and not mind them getting my shirt dirty with the paint :D I didn’t wish to upset them with my negative emotions. Hence I just laughed it off, letting them know that it’s okay.

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> their hobbies and interests

> there are a lot of things that an educator needs to look out for at all times - safety, space, language, interaction and others.

> i was a support for the team, and provided them with the help that they needed.

> saying "you guys" a lot and discussing in front of the children.

> being patient.

# data[].attributes.body
we had conversations about the frog and elephant and learnt about what the children like to do during the ice breakers.

I learnt that being an EC educator requires lots of patience and we have to to be alert at all times keeping a look out for the children.

I would definitely try my best to not say “you guys “ the next time I work with children.

I feel like conducting small games that they are familiar with definitely made them excited and I would repeat conducting games like that.

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Since the children were in playgroup, none of them really talked. When it was time to clean up, some of the children did try to sing the clean up song.

I learnt how many of the younger children cry much more than i expected. I also learnt that patience is important for an EC educator since there are many children to handle.

I learnt that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and I felt very comfortable interacting with the children. I was also a good support for my team.

Next time I won't use complicated words with the children

speaking to the children in an appropriate tone

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— (N2) I played matching cards with a child and pronounced each words for her to repeat after. Another conversation would be two boys quarrelling over this truck toy. Asking them to share or take turns with one another.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

— some children will not be willing to listen, I should let them do their things first instead of stopping them. Give them time to finish their activities.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.

— I was able to communicate with my team well.

What did you do today that you definitely will not repeat the next time you work with children?

— being very less talkative than what I am.

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.

— demonstrating actions for them to follow (eg sweeping the rice off your hands into the box nicely)

# data[].attributes.body
i asked them about their favourite colour, their knowledge on the life cycle, their favourite animal and also their hobbies (k2)

i learnt that you need to interact and communicate with the kids more carefully and that you need to always keep them engaged or they’ll be bored and start wandering around and doing other stuff

i learnt that being a good support is also important because you need to always be vigilant and keep a lookout on the kids at all times and help my friends who are leading the lesson plan. i was able to step out of my comfort zone today and interact with the kids and explain to them how to draw the animals and teach them the life cycle

i will continue to encourage them when they’re playing the activities so that they’ll feel motivated and not upset when they don’t succeed at a certain game so that they won’t feel upset.

# data[].attributes.body
i had conversations such as persuading the pg children to take part in the activity and talking about things like their toys.

i learned how to deal with crying children. for me i just did not make eye contact and let the teachers the pg children are familiar with to handle and calm them down.

i think i was able to take the lead when needed and i had to step out of my comfort zone to do that, which i was okay with. i found that i could handle surprise roles for example when i was asked to step in to do the story telling. i found myself being not as reluctant as i thought i would be. i am quite proud if myself for handling it well :)

i dont think i have anything that i would not repeat. i know what not to do based on the seniors feedback so those are the things i will remember not to do next time.

something i would repeat is singing songs related to what we want them to do. for example the clean up song as i find them responding better compared to me just telling them what to do.

# data[].attributes.body
i worked with the playgroup i make small talks with them and try to get them to interact. they do not really use their words but more of their actions and little mumbles.

i need to have a lot of patience and be able to think on my feet if things weren’t going according to plan. i also learnt to give the children space if they need it

i am a good support for my team as i just assist them in whatever they need. checking whether the activity is being set up properly. i can say that i am quite patient with the children.

be more enthusiastic the next time round and make more effort to interact with them.

continue being patient and just have fun with them.

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i worked with k2 children and the conversations i’ve had with them are animal related. since we’re teaching about life cycles, i came up with small conversations with individual children and asked them what their favourite animal is, and why is that their favourite animal.

being an educator doesnt mean that i shld js teach them more knowledge, it also means that i should be engaging with them more and use the topic that im teaching to make small conversations with them

i realised that i am able to initiate conversations with the children and when my teammates dont know how to start introducing another section of the activity, i am able to try to let the children know that we’re going into another section of the activity.

i realised that i was not really paying attention to the children’s safety when we were outside, and i definitely will be more alert in terms of their safety.

i will still try to make small conversations with the children the next time i work with them.

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What kind of conversations did you have with the children? (Indicate your age group, for reference.)

K1: i had a conversation about language, a girl asked me if i knew what chicken was in malay and what uniform was in malay. We also talked about frozen and the colors that represent it. So i had an cute conversation with them.

What did you learn about being an EC educator today that you did not know before?

I learned that being an ec educator is not just abt planning or getting the children to do what is planned, but it’s also to be able to adapt to the situation like last minute changes.

What did you learn about yourself in terms of taking the lead, being a good support for your team, ability to step out of your comfort zone, etc.
I learned that I am able to take the lead when i need too but i’m also able to do the support work/dirty work for my group mates when they feel uncomfortable or have other things to do.

What did you do today that you definitely will repeat the next time you work with children.
I will definitely be more welcoming? today i feel like my interactions level was middle and i feel like i want to attract the children more next time and have a higher interaction time.

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•The kind of conversation i had with the children is mainly about their favourite cartoons and their favourite characters. I remember one of the children told me that she wanted to watch The Little Mermaid with me!
• I’ve learnt that getting the children attention can be very tough especially when they have other peers around them. It requires a lot of patience so that is something important.
• I wasn’t ready to lead so I supported the team with what I can.
• Saying “you guys” is a habit for me so I’ll have to stop saying it infront of the children
•I will definitely put in as much energy that I had in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
What types of games do they like to play? ( K2) what is their favourite colour and what do they like to do during their free time.
I learn that it is actually very hard for us to get their attention even though we kept calling their names and asking them to sit or stand.
I learn that i am a good support for my team as when I see them gathering the items I help them to gather the items. If I see that no one is trying to trying to start the conversation I will try my best to start the conversation.
I will definitely try to memories their name so that it is easier to address them or ask them to listen to me.