Introduction

As educators, we strive to teach our students valuable social skills that will help them interact positively with their peers. One such skill is learning how to get attention from others without resorting to physical means, such as hitting or touching. This blog post will explore an engaging no-prep activity, discussion questions, related skills, and next steps to help kindergarten students learn to use their words to get attention in a respectful and safe manner.

No-Prep Activity: The Attention-Getting Game

This simple, interactive game requires no materials or preparation, making it an ideal activity to practice using words to get attention. Here’s how to play:

1. Have the students stand or sit in a circle.
2. Explain the goal of the game: to get the attention of the person next to them using only their words.
3. Model appropriate phrases to get someone’s attention, such as “Hey, [name]!” or “Guess what?”
4. Begin the game by having one student use a phrase to get the attention of the person next to them.
5. Once the first student has successfully gotten the attention of their neighbor, the neighbor will then use a phrase to get the attention of the next person in the circle.
6. Continue playing until every student has had a turn.

This activity reinforces the importance of using words to get attention and provides students with the opportunity to practice different phrases in a fun, supportive environment.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Attention-Getting Game, engage your students in a conversation about their experiences and observations using the following discussion questions:

1. How did it feel when someone used their words to get your attention? How did it feel when you used your words to get someone else’s attention?
2. Why is it important to use our words instead of hitting or touching others to get their attention?
3. What are some other phrases you can think of to get someone’s attention in a respectful way?
4. How can we make sure we’re choosing a good time to get someone’s attention? What should we do if they’re busy?
5. Why is it important to practice waiting with a calm body when someone is busy?

Related Skills

In addition to learning how to use words to get attention, there are other related social-emotional skills that can benefit kindergarten students:

• Active listening: Teaching students to focus on the speaker and truly understand what they’re saying.
• Empathy: Helping students recognize and understand the feelings of others.
• Patience: Encouraging students to wait calmly for their turn or for others to finish speaking.
• Respecting personal boundaries: Teaching students to respect the personal space and boundaries of others.

Next Steps

Now that you have an understanding of how to teach kindergarten students to use their words to get attention, you may be interested in exploring more social-emotional learning activities and resources. To access free sample materials, including lessons, games, and videos, visit Everyday Speech’s sample materials page.