When I think of all the things I did (and didn’t do) as a new teacher, yikes. It’s a memory lane I sometimes detour around. But as you go, you grow, right? One of the changes I’m glad I made was introducing hand signals into my systems for classroom management. They’re so simple. And even though we’re obviously going to talk a lot in our classroom, these signals cut down on the need to chat about mundane things… like, “Can I go to the bathroom?”
WHY HAND SIGNALS WORK
At the most basic level, hand signals minimize interruptions during instruction and help everyone maintain focus. But there are some other reasons to try using a nonverbal signal system like this in your classroom.
- Reduce Verbal Distractions – Instead of interrupting a lesson to ask for a tissue for a runny nose, a child can simply signal and wait for your head nod. This keeps everything flowing smoothly. (Well, as smoothly as anything can go with a large group of six year olds, lol.)
- Maintain Focus – This goes hand in hand with the first one, but when we’re able to limit disruptions, we’re more likely to help everyone stay focused on the task at hand.
- Support Diverse Learners – Hand signals are beneficial for kids who are shy, who have hearing impairments, or who are learning a new language.
- Promote Nonverbal Communication – Using hand signals encourages children to develop nonverbal communication, a valuable life skill.
- Increase Engagement – When kids feel understood without having to disrupt the class, they are more likely to be engaged in their learning.
- Improve Classroom Management – Hand signals help you quickly assess a student’s need, give directions, and manage the classroom more effectively.
- Build Your Community – Consistent use of hand signals fosters a sense of community and mutual understanding. It’s like using a secret code! 🙂
PICK UP A SET OF HAND SIGNALS
In this HAND SIGNALS SET for K-2 teachers, we’ve included the eight signals we use with our students. (There is also an option for just six, leaving off “clinic” and “ready.”) It includes individual cards to display on a wall, a poster showing all eight (or six) signals, and a narrow strip for student desks. This desk strip acts as a quick reference until they learn the hand signals by heart.
As a side note, our hand signal for clinic can either mean, “It’s time for me to go to the clinic to get my medicine,” or “I’m bleeding and need a bandage.” These are the subtle nuances you’ll work out with your students as you put this system in place.
Happy teaching!
PS: If you missed the last blog post, it’s all about VOICE LEVELS which ties in really nicely with the idea of using hand signals to limit noise or distractions in the classroom. This post is for any teacher who has been working on helping children regulate their voices at school.
