Classroom behavior management can be taxing even for the most experienced educators. Finding ways to make it fun can spare both teachers and students a lot of the frustration and exasperation rule enforcement can bring. Here are some tips and tricks to help your little learner go from rule time to game time!
Instead of This Say This
Excuse me “Beep, beep, beep!” like a truck backing up.
Sit Down “Bottoms down”
Stop “Freeze”
Come back here "Where’s your teacher?”
Sometimes even just a shift in voice inflection can make all the difference in being heard versus being completely ignored.
Stand up Is sung, “Staaand up!”
Line Up Is sung, “Staaand up, push in your chairs, liiine up!”
If you find yourself repeating the same instructions over and over again, try dropping your tone and giving your instructions in a slower deeper monster-like octave, a whisper, or even a robot voice. A change in voice tone-especially lower octaves, is a great way to grab their attention and is much more effective than screaming or yelling.
Another great trick of the trade is to use a soft countdown. I call it a soft count down because the countdown is spoken in soft tones and is used to keep the attention of those who are easily distracted. For instance, “Put on your shoes,” becomes “Little green shoes in 10, little green shoes in 9, little green shoes in 8,” etc. The sillier the better. If you are counting down for the whole class, say “One hundred,” instead of just “One” at the end of the countdown to break up any tension you or your kidlets may be feeling! 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 100!
