My Top 5 Most Used Attention-Getters!

We all have our favorite attention-getters that we use in the classroom. I love having an array of them to choose from to keep my kiddos on their toes!

Here are my Top 5, in no particular order!

My Wireless Doorbell

My students love my wireless doorbell. It has so many different chimes and I love to change it up often!

Mine is from Amazon…click HERE to check it out.

**Adorable lanyard by @theproblemsovlingteacherninja

My Bell

I have a few different bells around my classroom. I can quickly ding one of them to get students’ attention before giving instructions.

Claps

This one is an old teacher standby, but it still works, especially if kids are engaged in an activity and it’s a bit loud.

You can use any clapping rhythms you like, but the one I revert to most is:

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP and students repeat it and then give me their attention.

Chants

I use a lot of fun attention getters from the great Dr. Jean. I had the opportunity to attend one of her trainings several years ago as a newer teacher and I gathered so many great ideas that I still use today! I love her songs, her chants, and so many of her amazing activities. Visit her HERE!

Class! Yes!

This idea comes from Whole Brain Teaching. We have fun with this one!

Sometimes I whisper, sometimes I sing, or something else silly and the kiddos answer me back.

If you haven’t checked out this book or their website, there are a lot of great ideas for classroom management there!

What Happens AFTER I Get Their Attention?

I teach my students from day one, that once I get their attention, they need to follow our five listening rules so everyone will hear me and know what to do next…

Voice off
Eyes looking at me
Ears listening
Body still
Hands in lap or at side (free and empty so they can focus)

Then, I give directions, prepare for a transition, share an observation, ask a question, give a reminder…whatever it may be. And, we move on with our activities.

Grab my Listening Rules Chart HERE!