The following list is provided as food for thought and will hopefully be of use to some of you.
1) Raise hands (everyone’s favorite!)
2) Whisper (this draws them in )
3) Strategic pause (silence is deafening, especially in mid-sentence)
4) Use an accent (off the wall, but it works—obviously do not use one
that is based on a stereotype)
5) Talk real fast (only speak those words that are not important at this pace—once
you have their attention, slow down)
6) Talk real slow
7) Sing
8) Tell a joke
9) Do jumping jacks (have them join you)
10) Pantomime
11) Clap hands (utilize various clap patterns that the students can do too)
12) Play a musical instrument (penny whistle, guitar, harmonica, etc.)
13) Change your proximity to the students (move closer or further away)
14) Speak in a different language
15) Take out a magnifying glass and start looking at something
16) Tell a story
17) Silence
18) Put on a hat
19) Utilize a prop
20) Hold up a sign
21) Juggle
22) Put on a wig
23) Dance
24) Do a trick
25) Balance a pencil on your nose
26) Rap
27) Recite a poem
28) Do something gross but appropriate (sneezing into a hand already filled
with aloe vera is an attention getter and a nice segue into teaching about
the aloe
vera plant-- thanks Scott!)
29) Stand on top of a tall object
30) Be creative!