25 transition songs and attention signals
A signal the whole class knows gets attention without raising your voice: you call, they answer, and everyone stops and looks. Songs carry a group through a routine like clean-up or lining up. Every call-and-response and song below was written for this page; the songs use old public-domain tunes everyone knows. Teach one at a time, practice it when the room is calm, and keep it for the moment it's meant for.
Call and response
1. Tick tock
You say "Tick tock!" and the class answers "Stop the clock!" and freezes with hands still. Use it when you need everyone to stop what they are doing at once.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
2. Pencils down
You say "Pencils down." The class answers "Eyes up, no sound," puts pencils on the desk and looks at you. Older students accept it because it's short and plain.
Grades 3–8You need Nothing
3. Gather round
You say "Gather round!" and the class answers "Without a sound!" as they walk to the carpet. Say it softly so the answer comes back softly too.
Grades K–2You need Nothing
4. Ice cube
You say "Ice cube!" and the class answers "Chill!" and freezes like ice. Good for a busy room, such as an art lesson or a center rotation.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
5. Wise owls
You say "Who's listening?" in an owl voice and the class answers "We are, we are!" with hands cupped round their eyes like big owl eyes, looking at you.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
6. Crocodile snap
You say "Crocodile!" and the class answers "Snap!" with their arms closing like jaws, then folds their hands. The snap uses up the wiggle before they listen.
Grades K–2You need Nothing
7. Rocket ship
During a space unit, you say "Rocket ship!" and the class answers "Ready for the trip!" with hands pressed together pointing up. Swap the line for each unit you teach.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
8. Waves
You say "Waves crash..." slowly and the class answers "Shhhh" like the sea going out, getting quieter until the room is silent. Use it to bring a loud room down gently.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
Hand and sound signals
9. Hand up, voices off
Raise one hand and stay silent. Students who see it raise a hand and stop talking, and the signal spreads across the room without a word. Wait until every hand is up.
Grades K–8You need Nothing
10. Clap and echo
Clap a short rhythm; the class claps it back. Change the rhythm each time so students have to listen. Two or three rounds and every head is turned toward you.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
11. One chime, two chimes
One ring means freeze and look at you; two rings mean start cleaning up. Ring once and wait silently. A gentle sound carries better than a voice in a noisy room.
Grades K–8You need A chime or a small bell
12. Lights dim once
Dim or switch off the lights once, not flickering, and wait in the doorway or at the front. Students know to stop and look. Turn them back on once everyone is still.
Grades K–8You need The room's light switch
13. Silent countdown
Hold up five fingers and fold them down one at a time without speaking. By zero, students are seated and quiet. Younger students like to count down with you on their own fingers.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
14. Show the voice level
Point to the number on the voice levels poster, or hold up that many fingers, to set the volume for the next activity: zero for silent, one for a whisper, two for partner talk.
Grades K–5You need A voice levels posterUse Voice levels poster
Songs to familiar tunes
15. Tidy up (tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Sing while the class cleans up: "Tidy, tidy, tidy up, put things where they go. Paper, pencils, books away, then sit down nice and slow." Sing it twice; by the end, everyone should be seated.
Grades Pre-K–2You need Nothing
16. Line up (tune: Frère Jacques)
Sing as the class lines up, each line twice: "Time to line up, at the door, hands down by your sides now, eyes in front." The song ends when the line is ready.
Grades Pre-K–2You need Nothing
17. Carpet time (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Sing as children come to the carpet: "Find a spot and sit right down, feet are resting on the ground, hands are folded in your lap, eyes on me and give one clap." Everyone claps once at the end, then listens.
Grades Pre-K–1You need Nothing
18. Pack up (tune: London Bridge)
Sing at the end of the day: "Pack your folder, zip your bag, zip your bag, zip your bag. Pack your folder, zip your bag, now we're ready to go."
Grades Pre-K–2You need Nothing
19. Goodbye (tune: The Farmer in the Dell)
Sing as the class waits at the door at dismissal: "It's time to say goodbye, it's time to say goodbye, we learned a lot and had some fun, it's time to say goodbye."
Grades Pre-K–2You need Nothing
20. Reading time (tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Sing to start independent reading: "Get your book and find a nook, find a nook, find a nook. Get your book and find a nook, and read till we say stop."
Grades K–2You need Nothing
Countdowns and visual cues
21. Thirty seconds on the board
Start a thirty-second timer on the projector for a quick change, such as putting away math and taking out reading. The timer does the reminding instead of you.
Grades K–8You need The 30 second timerUse 30 second timer
22. Noise meter
Show the noise meter during group work and agree on a line it should stay under. When it rises past the line, pause and use one of the signals above.
Grades 1–5You need The noise meter on the projectorUse Classroom noise meter
23. Signal of the week
Put the call-and-response lines your class knows on the wheel and spin on Monday to choose the signal for the week. Students learn several without confusion.
Grades K–5You need The wheel with your call-and-response linesUse Wheel spinner
24. Flip the schedule card
Before a transition, walk to the schedule and flip the card that just ended. Students see what comes next and start moving without a speech.
Grades K–3You need Daily schedule cardsUse Daily schedule cards
25. Poster of our signals
Post the two or three signals your class uses so a substitute or a visitor can use them too. Point to the poster the first few times you use each one.
Grades K–5You need An attention signals posterUse Attention signals poster
Making it work
- Teach one signal at a time, practice it when the room is calm, and only then use it in a noisy moment.
- After you give the signal, stop talking and wait. If you keep talking over it, the signal stops working.
- Use one signal for stopping and a different one for moving, so students know which you mean.
- Thank the first students who respond out loud, and wait for the rest instead of repeating the signal.
- Put your signals in the sub folder and on the attention signals poster, so a substitute can use what the class already knows.
Questions teachers ask
- What is the best attention signal for the classroom?
- The one your class has practiced. A short call-and-response, a raised hand or a chime all work; what makes a signal work is that you teach it, practice it and wait silently every time you use it.
- Do transition songs work with older students?
- Songs suit Pre-K to 2nd grade best. Older students usually respond better to a plain call-and-response, a chime, a raised hand or a timer on the board.
- Can I use these songs in a performance or a video?
- The words on this page were written for Peabody Teach and the tunes are old public-domain songs, so you can sing them in class freely. Make up your own verses too.
- How many signals should I teach?
- Two or three: one to stop and look, one to clean up, and one for the carpet or the line. More than that and students mix them up.
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