They Never Stop Talking

20 strategies to channel kids’ chatter into better listening, participation, and focus

I’m sure you’ve been there.

You’re mid-sentence and someone talks right over you.

Or maybe you’ve already given the directions twice, and a third voice pipes up: “Wait… what are we doing?”

You’ve tried your attention signal. Then tried it again. The room is still buzzing.

It’s taking every ounce of willpower not to yell or scream.

I’ve been there….more times than I’d like to admit.

But over time I realized something: they were never going to stop talking…nor should they.

So I started wondering: what if I could work with it instead of against it?

Because most kids aren’t loud to be disrespectful. They’re loud because they’re excited, social, dysregulated, or still learning how to manage the space between impulse and action.

And that space? That’s teachable.

Here are the five principles underneath every strategy I use, whether I’m standing in front of a classroom full of 11-year-olds or navigating the noise at home.

The rest of this article (including all 20 practical strategies) is for paid subscribers (just $5/month). If you’d like a quick preview, you can also click HERE to see an Instagram post where I share three of my favorite strategies for free.