Teaching hyperactive students can indeed feel overwhelming.
Ever have one of those days where your classroom feels like an endless game of whack-a-mole? Kids are popping off the carpet during whole group activities, bouncing from desk to desk during assignments, and springing out of line during every transition.
I have taught first grade for the past seven years. My current group seems to be the wiggliest bunch I have ever worked with. Early in the year, I realized my typical class management systems and strategies were not enough. I needed more to help all children learn. Over half have now been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, ODD, or sensory processing disabilities.
If you are tired of the constant battles to keep the focus and cooperation of your hyperactive students, this post is for you.
I am here from K’s Classroom Kreations to share some easy classroom management strategies. I also have inexpensive resources that can help both you and your students be successful. Below are four simple steps that can be implemented in any order. They work with a wide variety of ages, depending on classroom needs.
If you walk into my classroom, you will first notice children scattered all around the room. Some kids sit on yoga balls, others lay on the floor, and a few even stand near desks. Of course, there are times when all children are expected to sit at desks to complete assignments, but typically, independent work in my classroom can be completed wherever needed.
I also purchased several “wiggle cushions” online. You can find them at stores like the Therapy Shoppe, but I also suggest just browsing Amazon. These seats help students move around while allowing their brains to focus on other tasks. Oftentimes, children with ADHD and sensory processing disabilities do not realize their place in the space around them; these seats help center them.
You might also notice a few children using tools from my “Fidget Box,” which is usually full of twists, stress balls, and other sensory items.
One of my favorite items is Tangles, which can be twisted and turned. I teach my kiddos to act like “ninjas” while using them. If I see them playing or tools become distracting, they need to put them away.
The majority of my tools came from the Dollar Tree.
I simply walked up and down the aisles to find different items that would provide a variety of feelings. Some students who are constantly picking (noses, fingers, tape, etc.) like the foam beads that can be picked apart and put back together. Others like squeezing stress balls, rubbing a scrubby sponge against their skin, or feeling the soft fabric of a washcloth.
I do allow my students time to explore different options and talk to them about what helps them focus and what seems to distract them more. Another idea for fidgeters is to place a small strip of VELCRO® under their desks for them to feel while sitting.
The framework of my day alternates between brief mini-lessons and independent/guided practice in other locations in my classroom.
I have found that by using a timer to limit my whole group instruction, I am more purposeful in what I say and present. This also prevents my students from getting too antsy; remember the attention span of your students and stick to it.
Did you know you can even find timers at the Dollar Tree? I also picked up a set of these magnetic clips – perfect for hanging schedules and picture cards right on the whiteboard, filing cabinet, or frame of some student desks.
I try to include many hands-on activities that include movement into each day.
One suggestion is to be purposeful in your movement activities. If you notice that students are starting to drift and need to refocus, then I suggest a quicker-paced activity. We love to use Go Noodle or Just Dance For Kids (on YouTube) for these brain breaks.
When I notice that some of my kids seem all over the place (extra wiggly/chatty), I have them complete different movement activities to help calm them down – for example: stomping, carrying a heavy backpack, or feeling their own weight while on the monkey bars will help slow them down and regain control of their body.
The last few years I have used Class Dojo (and swear by it!). If you have not heard of it, then you need to check it out; it takes behavior management to the 21st century. The online tool allows me to add many positive points by using my phone, iPad, or computer and to also take away points as needed. This tool usually works for about 90% of my class.
I then supplemented with behavior contracts, sticker charts, and anything else I could think of for my few remaining students.
Nothing worked this year!
Finally, I attended a conference with strategies for working with students who have Autism and ADHD. I was reminded of the sensory issues that many of my students are dealing with and how I needed to break things down into a more hands-on and visual way.
First, I thought about the specific children I was having trouble with and what interested them most. I printed small tokens with images (from Google). In this case, I printed and laminated some small tokens with Angry Birds, Ninja Turtles, and Spider-Man. I then conferenced with each child to see which classroom rewards would most motivate them. After that, I took pictures of these ideas and laminated them, as well.
I learned that my kids loved iPad time, reading in the library, playing with math centers, and having time to color.
Once the system was ready to go, I simply used VELCRO® to stick a small cup to each of their desks (to prevent spilling) and put all pieces in a zip-up pencil bag. I picked one behavior to focus on first with each child.
For example, one child was constantly interrupting, and another was constantly wandering the room (among many other disruptive behaviors, of course).
With these starting places in mind, I rewarded each child with a special token every time I saw the correct behavior displayed. I also made sure to use specific praise like, “I love that you raised your hand to answer” or “I love the way ________ is sitting in his seat. Who else can model great choices like him?” to reinforce positive choices.
I again went to my favorite dollar stores and craft stores and stocked up on every special coloring book I could find, and the best part is they last forever when students only earn one page at a time. (Actually, coloring pages were such a huge motivator that I allowed all students in my classroom to work toward a page in place of Prize Box on Fridays.)
In the beginning, I gave tokens very frequently.
As soon as a child earned five tokens, they could have five minutes spent with the reward they were working towards.
After their reward time was up (using a timer), they would select a new reward card to work towards and would start back at zero. When initially implementing the program, some kids could earn reward time a few times a day. These kiddos are typically the ones who need immediate attention (favorite characters on tokens) and could not wait until the end of the day/week for rewards like other children (they lack impulse control).
When I shared this plan with a few other teachers, one concern was the time spent on rewards. They worried it would take away from working. I understand this concern. Believe me.
But I asked them, how much time is your targeted student actually on task, engaged, and not disrupting others right now? Probably not very much. If I could get the student to buy into this system, the five minutes spent earning a reward would be well worth it. This cooperation would benefit learning throughout the rest of the lesson.
As students learn to self-manage their behaviors, slowly wean them off the reward system. You can do this in two ways: increase the number of tokens needed before earning a reward or give tokens after completing a whole task, lesson, or day instead of every few minutes. The goal is to help children realize they control their bodies and choices and no longer need the tokens.
Once my other teammates tried this system, they saw great changes in behaviors and loved it.
TIP: Keep the one focus behavior your actual focus. This means that if you are working on having a child stop wandering, focus on that issue first. This means that if you are working on having a child stop wandering, focus on that issue first. Don’t get caught up with other problems, like them not sitting correctly on the carpet or standing at their desk. Reward them when they are where they are supposed to be and on task.
Teaching hyperactive students can be a challenge, but with these strategies, you can create a more focused and cooperative classroom environment. Remember to adjust seating arrangements, provide sensory input, incorporate brain breaks and movement, and implement a hands-on behavior system. By doing so, you will find that teaching hyperactive students becomes more manageable and rewarding.
I hope this post gave you lots of new ideas about ways to help your wiggle worms gain better control of their bodies and hopefully their learning. If you have any questions, feel free to pop on over to my blog, check out my classroom on Instagram, or visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Thank you!
Minds in Bloom
