Getting back into routine can be difficult for children who are unsettled after the holidays. That’s why we’ve been speaking to teachers about what resources and tools they use to support behaviour and control within their classrooms.

We’ve picked three of our favourite interactive tools that were mentioned. If you haven’t seen these before, hopefully they’ll be useful tools in your classroom or your next supply role!

Tool 1: Bouncy Balls 🥎

https://bouncyballs.org/

This free site (shown in the image below) helps control classroom noise levels. Noise in the classroom is great during discussion-related tasks, but sometimes you need silence. When this is the case, Bouncy Balls could be a great resource for you.

All you have to do is enter the website - the standard settings are fine! Once you’re in, the balls on the screen bounce around in line with the noise in the room. A voice prompt of “shhh” will sound to remind the class that the noise levels are getting too high. The aim is to gamify silence! Pupils can stop the balls bouncing with silent working.

Tool 2: Wheel of Names 👩‍🏫

https://wheelofnames.com/

The Wheel of Names is a fantastic resource for making selections in the classroom. The spinning wheel creates excitement and interaction, which keeps the room focused. Just enter your pupils’ names and the wheel will take care of the rest. You can use this for selecting groups, answering questions, commendations, and much more!

Also, it doesn’t just have to be names you enter in the wheel! For example, if you’re learning about different countries, you could enter those and spin the wheel, and focus the lesson on whichever country the wheel lands on. Get creative with this tool!

Tool 3: Online Stopwatch ⌛

https://www.online-stopwatch.com/classroom-timers/

Online Stopwatch is a site full of creative, interactive countdown timers to use in your classroom. All you have to do is choose your scene, set the amount of time and press go! The scenes can vary from “egg and spoon races” (as seen in the image below) to “swimming competitions”. Once you press start, the characters in the scene start racing each other! The finish line marks the end of the timer.

This tool is a glorified stopwatch – but boy it works! You can use it for quick thinking and faced-paced activities to keep the class focused on the task at hand.

We hope you get the opportunity to try out these resources and tools in your classroom, if you haven’t already! Let us know on our Twitter @ZenEducate if you’ve noticed a difference when using these. It’ll be great to hear from you!