Get in touch with local elementary schools. Most elementary schools welcome tutors from the community. While you might want to start with a school in which you know some of the elementary students, having a connection to a particular elementary school is not necessary to tutor there. Contact each school for its individual requirements.
Agree to a background check. Elementary schools need to make sure that their students are safe. Most require their tutors to submit to a background check. Comply since safety measures should be taken for the protection of children.
Participate in any training offered by the elementary school. Many elementary schools provide training for their tutors at the beginning of the school year. The training is generally short (around 30 minutes long) and provides a brief overview of the tutoring needs and recommendations for tutoring elementary students. Pay attention to the advice that the school offers to help you do a better job as a tutor
Learn what type of tutoring you will be doing. Elementary schools often need tutors to read with elementary students who are struggling in this area. Tutors are also often needed to help prepare elementary students for end of the year standardized tests. The elementary school will let you know where your tutoring skills are needed.
Research ways to tutor children. Once you know what your tutoring assignment will be, research ideas online or talk with other tutors about things you can do to become a better tutor for elementary students. For example, if the elementary school asks you to help an elementary student learn how to read, explore strategies for helping the child sound out new words by identifying each letter sound in the word. The teacher can always offer better ways to reach a particular elementary student.
Tailor tutoring sessions to a child's interests. Find out what each child’s interests are. Incorporate those interests into the tutoring sessions. For example, if an elementary student is interested in dinosaurs or animals, then find resources in the library that teach the concepts by incorporating those interests. By tailoring the tutoring to the child's interests, the elementary student is more likely to be a willing participant in the tutoring.
Create games out of learning. A history "bee" or Jeopardy-like game can make learning a lot more fun...and you, the tutor, will be much more successful.