Your after school program is filled with an array of student personalities. Some students are outspoken and eager to participate. While others may be shy, and rarely raise their hand to answer questions, read aloud, or contribute to group discussions.

And more often than not, these students are usually so quiet that they fly under the radar. And in turn, they miss out on the chance to participate in engaging learning opportunities.

But all hope isn’t lost. There are plenty of ways for shy students to participate and make their voice heard. Below we’ve shared five simple strategies to support and empower shy students in your after school program:

1. Build a supportive environment

Creating a safe learning environment where students feel valued, included, and supported is one way to get shy students to participate. Here are a few ways to build a supportive environment:

Model kindness
Use positive language
Allow room for mistakes
Promote inclusion
Foster community

In safe and supportive learning environments, students feel confident and willing to take risks. And your shy students will feel comfortable enough to increase their participation.

2. Provide non-verbal options

Simple things like raising their hand to speak in groups can be extremely stressful for shy students. So offer them new ways to initiate a discussion. Teach Starter recommends using their emoji self-assessment cards or the red-yellow-green cup method to encourage participation and feedback.

3. Create a buddy program

Develop a system in which you pair up students and give them an opportunity to get to know one another. This takes the pressure off of shy students to meet and make new friends. You can even take it a step further by using Conversation Cubes to help them spark up discussions.

The key is to rotate “buddies” often so that all students have the chance to meet. And as your shy students learn more about their peers and begin building friendships, they’ll feel more comfortable participating.

4. Use think-pair-share activities

As shy students begin opening up more, you may decide to try the Think-Pair-Share (TPS) method. This collaborative learning strategy challenges students to work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading.

First, students are allowed to think individually about what they know or have learned about a particular topic. Then each student is paired with another student, and they have a chance to share their thinking with their partner. At the end, you can expand the “share” into a whole-group discussion. TPS gives shy students a progressive way to ease into participation by starting as an individual and later transitioning into a group.

5. Be patient

Some educators may force shy students to participate by bringing them to the front or calling on them when they don’t have their hands raised. This can cause undue stress and anxiety, and further discourage them from participating.

Instead, be patient and avoid pressuring shy students to participate when they feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. Watch for warning signs, like if the student:

Avoids eye contact
Speaks in a whisper or won’t speak at all
Looks visibly anxious if called upon
Never or rarely talks with others

The goal is to ensure all students feel safe and comfortable in your program. And every student - especially your shy students - should be empowered to learn and engage in their own way. Check out Everybody Wins! by Dianne Schilling and Terri Akin for a collection of kid-friendly games that teach valuable skills like cooperation, inclusion, full participation, and creativity.