It’s hard to get children to listen to every word you say during the day. But if you creatively grab their attention, they are more likely to respond to stimuli, stay on task, and retain new information that comes their way. The best way to get anyone to remember something is to engage as many senses as you can, and another is to tie activities to experiences to which they can relate. With these attention grabbers, children might actually focus on you and what you are saying.
Engage all of the senses. Introduce smells, colorful prisms, light sources, compelling moves, textures, taste tests, temperatures, etc. Play interesting sound effects or animal noises. See if the children recognize their source. “What is that?” “Which one is closest to you/far away?” “Which one is higher/lower?” “Which one is louder/softer?”
Use a child's name. Incorporate their name in the activity or song. Write it on their work.
Dress up! Wear a mask, cape, face paint, headdress, silly hat, funny glasses, or a costume. Using humor and theatrics will spark the curiosity of any age child.
Use your talents. This includes magic tricks, imitating characters, playing spoons, drawing caricatures, making balloon animals, yoga poses, yodeling, etc. Even the simplest talent will fascinate young children.
Take the stage! Read a new story, sing a song, produce a finger play, or tell a felt story that relates to what children will learn. Play an interactive song from your music library that promotes verbal or physical responses.
Introduce an exciting prop like a mirror, puppet, stuffed animal, pinwheel, robot, rocket, electronic gadget, or other unusual items.
Take something apart. Introduce an object that is directly related to the subject matter. Let the children figure out how it works and then take it apart. Try an old clock, cassette, or coin sorter. Can they put it back together?
Spark interest by asking open-ended questions. “Why do you think the wheel turns?” “What do you know about caring for pets?” “What will happen if you raise the ramp?”
Riddle me not! Give children thought-provoking clues and ask for predictions. - Hide an item and ask children to find it. - Play charades! Draw a shape, number, or letter in the air and ask the children to guess what you’ve drawn. - Use a picture or cover of a book as a clue. - Draw clues on the chalk or whiteboard. - Ask the children to blindly feel inside the bag, box, or pocket and guess what’s in there. - Direct children to pick a card that will show a clue about the next activity.
Compose music! Surprise children by playing an instrument. Demonstrate how to play it and the different sounds it makes. Make up songs together. Enncourage children to bring in or hand-make instruments to play.
Advertise what children will learn in a fantastical way. “Tomorrow we will discover the MAGIC of shapes!” “This afternoon the amazing Waldo is coming to visit.” “Today we are going to make a rainbow out of chalk.” “This story is about a mouse, and I've hidden one in the room for you to find.”
Behave contrary to the norm. Walk backward/sideways/like a robot, sit/lay on the floor, add movement to descriptions, speak in an odd voice, measure with something ridiculous, look in odd places.
Make deliberate errors. Make ridiculous mistakes. Let the children catch them and show you how much they know.
Mellow out! Turn the lights off, whisper, or turn the music down so low the children can barely hear it.
Take five! Sensory overload can have adverse effects. Set time aside for a little quiet meditation. There are many meditation techniques. Find one that works for you. - Direct children to sit or lay quietly with their eyes closed. - Meditate: slowly and deeply breathe in and out to the count of five. - Shake a high-pitched wind chime or swirl around a singing bowl while children touch their thumbs to each finger when prompted to do so. - Lay on the grass and take deep breaths while watching clouds roll by.
Stop all together! Consider the popularity of suspenseful dance/freeze activities. - Begin to say something really interesting, and then pause just before you get to the good stuff. - Walk with the children, count to a number, then FREEZE out of nowhere.
Set a timer. Setting a simple kitchen timer or ringing a five-minute bell can help ease transitions. Demonstrate what they will be doing and inform them how long they have to do it. It keeps them focused on the task at hand and helps them practice attentive behavior.
Call and response. Teach children a vocal chant to which they respond. You say the first line, and they shout the 2nd line. Make up your own. “Timber!” -“Wolves!” “Smithville bees say…” - “Buzz, buzz!” “Ready to rock? - Ready to roll.” “1, 2, 3…! - Lift off!” “Giants see!”-“Giants do!” “Knock! Knock! – We’re here!” “Think twice.”- “Be nice.” “Hakuna” - “Matata!”
Initiate responder games. Teach children a series of moves or a rhythmical clapping pattern like clap-clap-pat-pat they repeat back to you when prompted. Direct them to respond to your commands in a unique way. “If you can hear me, clap one time. Two times. Three times…” “If you are wearing red, pat your head. Blue, stomp your shoes.” “If you are quiet, shake your hips.”
Create a storyboard! - Start telling a story and ask children to add to the storyline. - Take photos of the children doing different activities. Line them up and ask children to make up a story about them. - Begin a story and direct the children to create alternate endings. - Change “Five Little Ducks” to “Five Perfect Squares.” - Ask children to draw in a journal and dictate a story to you. - Draw something with chalk and prompt them to make a story. (See CHALK IT UP! Activity guide for over 180 outdoor chalk ideas. ISBN 10: 0979961297)
Make art! Find an artistic way to present something to the children. - Serve a healthy snack in the shape of a face with features. - Make the number seven out of colorful shoelaces. - Trace the shape of a square with rocks and pinecones. - Sort and classify seashells. - Take digital photos and show the children how they look.
Work together. Encourage children to team up and complete a task. It’s much more fun to work together than alone. Children learn from each other, obtain different perspectives, practice language skills, and learn important social skills like compromising, sharing, and waiting their turn.
Remove distractions. Some children find it difficult to focus with visual and auditory distractions, clutter in their workspace, or events taking place out the window. - Declutter the room. Remove anything that doesn’t need to be in or around the workspace. - Erase unnecessary writing on the board. - Turn off cell phone notifications. - Move children away from the window.
Chop! Chop! Break tasks up into smaller pieces with gaps or intermissions in-between (chunking). Sometimes a large project or task can be overwhelming. Are you more likely to remember numbers written like this, 459847936, or broken up like this 459-847-936?
Map it out! Show children the task using pictures in sequential order. It becomes a visual reference that easily maps out steps for activities such as washing hands, prepping food, or putting on winter clothing. Use photographs you take, or images from magazines, online, or other sources. Post the pictures in order so children can use them when they forget what’s next.
Get to know the children you are working with and relate content to what they know and experience every day. Understand the best way to achieve positive outcomes based on temperament, cultural background, language, rate of development, and learning style. Remember that some children need to look at what you are doing, some will respond to what you say better than what they see, and most will need to physically experience the information in some way before it becomes concrete. You can talk about a dinosaur for 20 minutes, or you can act like one, make a dinosaur puppet show, or take them on a field trip to touch bones and see how big they really were.
Share your story. Have you used any of these methods to attract the attention of children in your care or class? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience.
Author of: The BIG Book of Open-Ended Questions to Intentionally Support Young Children in Learning: Topics for Preschool thru 1st Grade, ISBN-13: 978-0-9987090-7-9, Feb 2023
Angela Russ-Ayon is a mom-preneur, children’s author, interactive trainer on the subject of early childhood, and award-winning artist/producer of music for young children. She presents educational strategies to child care providers, parents, and teachers nationwide for AEYCs, R & Rs, and the like. She is a member of the Recording Academy and is the sole owner of Russ InVision Records. For more information on Angela, her workshops, and her accomplishments you are welcome to visit www.abridgeclub.com. © 2021, Russ InVision. All rights reserved.
Find out more about Angela Russ-Ayon and her affordable interactive keynote and workshop presentations coast-to-coast on the subjects of early childhood development, STEM (science and math), open-ended questions, and family engagement. Visit her training page.
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