Sanjana Harichandran

Over the past few years, I've taught primary-level children both formally and informally — through an 8-month volunteer role working with a group of about 10 kids, as well as one-on-one tutoring in math and English with my cousin and neighborhood children.

With grade 1–6 students, my sessions focus on building real understanding rather than rote memorization. For math, we work through problems step by step until the concept actually clicks, rather than rushing to the answer. For English, I focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and basic writing, tailored to where each child is starting.

For younger children, kindergarten-age and up, my approach is play-based. I use games and storytelling to introduce early literacy and numeracy — counting through simple games, letter recognition woven into stories, and basic word-building through play rather than worksheets. Younger kids learn best when they're having fun and don't feel like they're "studying," so I keep these sessions light, interactive, and short enough to hold their attention.

Every session I run is pre-planned the day before: I decide what concept we're covering, what activity or game will introduce it, and a simple way to check whether the child actually understood it before we move on. I stay flexible with that plan in the moment, since kids progress at very different paces even within the same age group.

The volunteering role especially taught me how to hold a group's attention and adapt on the fly — skills I now bring directly into individual tutoring.