TEACHER "TRICKS"

This is not breaking news if you are a teacher! But attention can be a difficult thing to capture…especially in a Kindergarten and First Grade classroom ! Teachers need a big gigantic bag of "tricks" to grab their students'  attention.  Here are some of my "tricks" - tried and true!

The Magic Hats Bell:

Yes, it's a little (counter) bell. It sits near my table out of the reach of little hands. I affectionately call it the magic hats bell. It is nothing fancy to look at. But something AMAZING happens when I tap it just once.  My students stop working in their center, put on their magic hats and look at me for directions.
Magic Hats = both hands on your head and looking at the teacher.

Tried and True. Really. It works. It's like magic!

The Clicker:

Yes, it's a little (dog) clicker. It sits on my teacher table. One side looks like a soccer ball and the other side has a metal plastic piece that you push. When you push it, it makes the BEST clicking sound ever…because when my students hear it during center time, they immediately look at me and know to lower their voice to a whisper. I never have to say a word - the clicker does the trick. 

Who knew a little piece of plastic and metal could be so VALUABLE? Believe me when I tell you it is! I know, because mine just broke! 

Need one like me? You can get one here.

The Mystery Walker:

Yes, it is a MYSTERY that keeps my line of 19 QUIET while walking to the lunchroom, the art room, the music room, P.E., recess or wherever we go! I mean super quiet! Sometimes I have to pinch myself because they are so quiet. How? Grab a bunch of crafts sticks and label with students' names and put them in a basket, or in my case a zippered (pencil case) shoe. It hangs right on my door. I just grab a stick before my class heads out.  I read the name (just me - the kids do not see it) and then I slip it into my pocket. I tell my students I will be watching "the mystery walker." And that is what I do! I watch that student all the way to and all the way from. If that student is quiet they earn the title "mystery walker" and I announce the name when we return back to the classroom! We all give this person a round of applause. I give him/her a little table top reward that sits on their desk until it is awarded to the next mystery walker. Now, if we get back to the room and the mystery walker was not quiet  - well, then I do not tell the class who it was…I slip it back into the shoe (REAL DISAPPOINTED LIKE) without telling (insert groaning) and the table top award does not get passed. Tough, but that is how it goes!

There you have it - 3 super simple, super easy - tried and true "tricks" to grab your students' attention.

What do you do? Please share… because there is always room for one more, in our bag of teacher tricks!