Start the class with a warm-up activity. Capture the kids' attention from the start by using an activity that introduces the subject and focus their attention. Look at a photo or object related to the subject. Sing a song or play a short game.
Use a wide range of teaching styles. Start lessons in different ways to ensure that kids find each lesson interesting. Use teacher-centered learning activities such as reading a story, demonstrating an idea or letting kids ask questions. Kids like to be actively involved in their learning; mixing teaching with student-centered activities such as self-studies, work with a peer or group help them to stay engaged.
Let kids have a short break. Prepare a classroom yoga exercise or physical exercises that can be used while you stand next to your chair. Hand-clapping activities are a way to engage kids. Let kids chant a times table or the order of the planets while they are hand-clapping. A short break of two to three minutes will help kids to refocus.
Circulate in the classroom and talk to the kids. This helps decrease off-task behavior and promotes the development of a close relationship with the kids. Encourage kids to ask questions while you are circulating. Use their questions to explore the subject in new ways. This makes the learning activity engaging and relevant to their lives.
Teach students to monitor their engagement. Talk about the importance of staying focused. Make a bookmark with numbers from 1 to 10, in which "10" means focused, and "1" means unengaged. Tell kids to look at the bookmark during an activity and choose the number that represents their focus for that activity. If their attention is moving away from the task, they could put their hands up and ask some help to focus. Circulate the classroom during an activity and ask kids questions to verify their self-report. Monitor their overall behavior; disengaged kids may talk to other kids, but they may also be quiet and thinking about other things.
Ask kids who lose interest to spend time to think about why. Their responses will help you with ideas to make the teaching more engaging, and it will help students to monitor their own learning. Positively reward kids that monitor their attention by displaying their names on a large poster. Kids love to have their names displayed. Display names of kids who ask questions related to their comprehension as well on the board. This makes the poster an overall positive display of monitoring behavior.
Use a writing activity when you see that kids are losing their engagement. Journal writing about "What was interesting about the talk?" or "How can you use what you learned in your life?" helps kids to reflect on their learning.