I have found out in the past week that for all elementary levels, K-5, that something as simple as a singing toy can work wonders for classroom management. The holiday toys that sing and dance, holiday themed music, you name it, work wonders for motivating students to clean up and to work during class.
When it is time to clean up, I use an attention getter. In a quiet voice: "If you can hear me clap once....twice....three times...." etc. until students quiet down. This is usually just for grades K-3. Other grades I say "Freeze, freeze, freeze" and they stop and listen. I give instructions for clean up and they don't move until I say "Go". Once students have cleaned up, they are instructed to get into a quiet line while they wait for their teacher to come pick them up from class. On their way out of class I play one of the toys.... right now it's a dancing skeleton that sings some funny song and they dance as they file out of the room.
It is a much easier process to get students at the K-5 levels to clean up than middle school students. Who would have known.
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