School Author Visits: 5 Things NOT to Do!
In this guest post, author Kylie Wyman (It’s New Year’s and It’s the Fourth of July) shares some wisdom about school visits!
You’ve written your first (or third, or tenth) children’s book, and you are ready to share it with the world! And what better way to get your book in front of kids than at a school? Author visits at schools can be a wonderful way to engage with your core audience.
School visits require less prep than a stand-alone event. You’re guaranteed a group of children that will be there, so no worrying about how many people will show up. And as an added bonus, you become a mini celebrity for the day… Well, at least for the hour! So what could possibly go wrong?? Hopefully, nothing! But to be extra safe to ensure a smooth ride through your presentation, do NOT do the following things:
- Do NOT avoid finding fun or silly ways to engage with the audience.
Kids can make for the best kind of audience, and there is nothing they love more than to be a part of the action! This can be as simple as incorporating time into your presentation to call on students to answer some questions. One of my favorite ways to engage with my school audiences when reading my book It’s New Year’s! is to have the group help me do a New Year’s countdown. It’s easy, fun, engaging, and the kids LOVE it! A little risky to have a full group participation moment with a bunch of kids? Yes… but 100% worth it!
- Do NOT hold in your laughs.
Absolutely go into your visit being the professional that you are, but remember that that doesn’t mean you have to be straight-faced and serious while you present! Kids love to laugh, so you shouldn’t be afraid to laugh with them. A kid has a silly response to your question… go ahead and chuckle with the rest of them! There’s a funny part of your book that has the audience giggling… let your giggles out too!
- Do NOT avoid the kid who has already asked you one crazy, out-there question.
We all know the kid I’m talking about here. The one who asks the question that has nothing to do with your book. The kid who asks the question that’s already been asked. The kid who asks a question that’s not a question but is really a story. Don’t be afraid of this kid. There will be 10 of these kids in your audience. Maybe even 20 or 30 depending on the group size! Be prepared to go with the flow for whatever question, or non-question, comes out of their cute little mouths. At my last school visit, I asked a group of first graders to share all of the different holidays they could think of. The most unique response I got was, “getting a dog!” Hmm, last I checked, that is NOT a holiday, but did I dare say that back to Timmy? Nope, I rolled with it… “Wow! I bet that day almost felt like a special, personal holiday for just you! What an exciting memory for you and your family!”
- Do NOT fail to remember your audience is a group of kids and may need a moment to quiet down.
As a teacher-author here, this may be one of the most important things to consider when going into any school visit. Kids are loud. Kids like to talk and wiggle and sometimes scream out. Be ready for it, and if you are, your visit will go that much smoother! Quiet pauses are your best friend. Sometimes all kids need is a burst of quiet to remind them to turn those voices off. Other times, the group may get away from you, and you may need to step up your game to bring their attention back. When this happens, don’t be afraid to put on your best pretend-teacher hat and try out some attention getters.
An easy one to use is the Count Down. Simply count down from three to zero and say something like “Let’s see if we can be quiet in 3, 2, 1, and 0!”
And if they’re really out of control, my personal favorite is the Clap and Repeat. “Clap once if you can hear me.” *clap* “Clap twice if you can hear me.” *clap, clap* Easy-peasy, right?! You got this!
- Do NOT forget to have fun
School visits are meant to be fun, so last, but not least, don’t forget that you get to have fun too! Introduce yourself, read your book, engage with the kids, smile, laugh, and be yourself!
Agreed! I think school visits are so fun and getting to laugh with kids is the best. I have a repeating refrain in my book that I like to have the kids say out loud with me, I think it helps keep them engaged in the fun too!
Agreed!!! The best school visits are FUN for everyone!