When you're teaching kids' ESL, you face several challenges. You have to communicate with kids who don't speak the same language as you and who often are only in class because their parents are making them go. Additionally, many schools offer little to no guidance on what they want you to teach in the classroom. It's enough to make you want to give up.

Don't throw in the towel just yet. Use these tips to get your class under control.

Make a plan. Whether you have a formal curriculum that you must follow or not, it's important to step into the class with a solid idea of what you want to teach. The more ideas you have, the better. If you run out of time, students might take advantage of this and start acting out.

Stick to a schedule. Design a schedule that works for your class. For example, you might include conversation practice, new vocabulary words, games and songs. Do these in the same order every time that you teach the lesson. After awhile, the students will be able to anticipate what comes next, which can make them feel more confident in the classroom.

Use hand gestures and pictures. It's not likely that your students are going to understand advanced English. They may not even understand the basics. You need to use pictures and gestures to get your point across. You can't just say, "I like apples." and hope that they understand--you have to show a picture of an apple, point to yourself and mimic eating an apple, then make a happy face and rub your belly.

Plan games. Your students will get bored quickly if you don't keep them on their toes. Not only is standing in front of the class giving a lecture boring, it's ineffective. Students will learn English faster when you incorporate games in your class.

Keep all students challenged. There's a good chance that you'll have students of differing abilities in your class. Don't teach to only one level. Modify your lesson so that that all students can learn and have fun. You might require new students to just point to a vocabulary card or say the word, while more advanced students should say the full sentence.

Be silly. Don't be afraid to get goofy. The kids will enjoy your lesson if you make funny noises or faces. Make a lot of intentional mistakes when you teach, such as saying something is red when it's really blue. Children enjoy catching these mistakes and will have more fun.

Facing a classroom of kids for the first time? Get teaching ideas by clicking on Teach Kids' ESL http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com