How to Get Elementary Students to Pay Attention

Let's face it, after hearing their teacher say "pay attention," "listen up," and "quiet, please" a couple hundred times, it loses its effectiveness. Teachers get tired of constantly saying these words too. Consider these steps for new ideas to get your elementary students to pay attention and to put an end to ineffective commands.

Instructions

1. Clap a beat and have them repeat it. Hearing you clap, say 2 long claps followed by 3 short, immediately gets their attention, but better yet, it quiets them down and gives them something fun to focus on. They like being part of the solution, especially when they get to create more noise in the process.

2. Keep a stash of carnival tickets in your pocket at all times. When a student is modeling good behavior, hand him a ticket. Either do it silently (and continue finding students who are doing what they are supposed to, handing each one a ticket) or announce to the class that "Ryan gets a ticket for standing in line quietly." Have the kids write their name on the ticket and drop it in a bowl for a weekly drawing for treats or special roles, like line leader.

3. Turn of the lights. This is good for a few tries anyway. Once the lights shut off, the kids immediately look up thinking something is wrong. The noise level drops long enough for you to tell them "this is how I would like it sound in here."

4. Refuse to speak until it's quiet. This may take several minutes, but once the students know that those minutes are coming out of their recess or free time, they learn quickly.

5. Play a mirroring game with them. When you do an action, such as putting your hand on your hand or pulling on your ear lobe, they should drop what they are doing and mirror you. No one wants to be the last person to figure it out (and worse, still be talking in a room full of quiet children).

6. Spotlight good behavior. Keep a flashlight in your classroom and when you see a child working on task, shine the light on their desk and announce "Spotlight on Jenny for working quietly."

7. Read "Miss Nelson is Missing" by James Marshall to the class if their behavior is completely out of control. Explain to them that you have to act the way Miss Nelson did when they behave the way they do.