Get sporty to catch kids’ attention ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio!
Hi and welcome back to Attentionology for K – 5 Teachers!
The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio are fast approaching.
Get sporty ahead of the opening ceremonies on Friday, August 5 to encourage kids to watch the games.
“Win gold playing the games” to your advantage as a teacher!
Games & Sports is #15 of what I call The FAB 15 A-GEs – Attention-getting elements.
These elements are “take it to the bank” – surefire – techniques for catching and keeping K – 5 kids’ attention.
Just about every kid jumps at the chance to watch or play sports.
Ask K-5 students to name a favorite sport and most will quickly shout out with the zeal of fans at a nail-biter of a game.
Teachers, camp counselors, program directors and others who work with kids can tap children’s enthusiasm for sports to help achieve behavioral, as well as educational goals.
For example, when kids aren’t cooperating with you or each other, remind them that “we work together as a team here, like the pros on the __________ (name a sport/team).” “There’s no room for the me-me-me syndrome!”
Stuck with bad weather?
Opt for sporty activities indoors that take kids outside, at least through their imaginations.
Standing, stretching, pretending to swim, for example, gives kids a chance to work out the wiggles, laugh like “fish out of water,” and get ready to focus on what’s coming next in class or camp…
A teacher’s or camp counselor’s world is action-packed, time-compressed, noisy and demanding – like sports!
Try this…
Give Math a Shot. Score BIG!
Set up a small net and play a simple math game where students who offer correct answers to problems you pose get to shoot a small basketball.
If they make the shot they get a second turn.
“Sports stars, give Math a shot!”
Encourage students or campers to be “HOT SHOT KIDS.”
Let kids take turns shooting some hoops, for example, to loosen up for a spelling test.
You may even find that your most reluctant learners jump at the chance to shoot hoops or play another game – becoming more engaged in learning as they score.
Try this…
Get Kids Moving to Get Ready for the Day! – Got kids that seem like they’re still asleep when they get to school or day camp?
Pick up on kids’ interest in sports and lead them in some warm-ups to start the day.
In a few minutes’ time, you can help kids “pump oxygen to their brains!”
A warm-up can be as simple as asking the class to do five jumping jacks in place. Jump for a class full of more alert students!
Set up Super Olympic Loving Teams – Sporty activities may also include creating class or camp teams.
Invite kids to submit suggested team names.
Write the entries on slips of paper; drop them in a bag or box (preferably one with a sporty design) and hold a random drawing for the winners.
Once your teams are named, you can use teams to organize students into groups, motivate “team play,” encourage winning attitudes…the list goes on.
Sports Writers On Call – Get sporty ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio by using sports-related themes as writing prompts.
Invite kids to write a story or poem about their favorite sport.
Suggest that students download or clip news coverage about a star athlete in the Olympics to use as the basis for opinion writing about who’s the best in that sport and why.
Use warm-ups such as jumping jacks as you announce that the class needs to “warm-up for writing.”
Or ask students/campers to stand in place with space between them (to avoid injuries) and mimic the action of a sport, like swinging back a bat for baseball and hitting a home run. Kids love this!
Getting sporty ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio will draw children in.
Attention-grabbing sports-related activities can be game-changers in how well kids stay focused and learn while they also have fun.
Remember, you don’t need to be a magician to work magic in any instructional setting!
Talk with you again soon,
Barbara ♥ The Lovable Poet
