Hi everyone! Welcome to the Read Aloud Classroom, where we’re making picture books work for you, even with a packed schedule. Hi, I’m Sarah, a former educator who believes in the power of Read Alouds to transform your teaching without adding to our already full plates. Picture this, you’re sitting on the carpet with your class, holding up a beautiful picture book you’re excited to share.
You start reading with enthusiasm, and within minutes you notice Jimmy rolling around, Sarah playing with her shoelaces, and half the class seems to be looking everywhere but at you. Sound familiar? Today, we’re tackling one of the most common struggles teachers share with me, keeping those wiggly students engaged during read alouds.
And trust me, in today’s world of constant stimulation and shorter attention spans, this challenge is more real than ever. But I promise you, with the right strategies, those magical read aloud moments are still possible, even with your most energetic students. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out episodes 15 and 16, where we discuss setting expectations for read alouds and making them interactive without losing control.
Today’s episode builds on those foundations, and I’ll be referencing some strategies we covered there. Let’s start by acknowledging something important. Today’s students are different than the students from even 10 years ago. With the rise of technology and fast paced media, many children are accustomed to constant stimulation and quick transitions.
This isn’t a judgment, it’s simply a reality as educators. One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from teachers is that students need to be completely still to be learning. I want to challenge that idea. Some of our most engaged learners might be the ones fidgeting, rocking, or even standing during a read aloud.
For some students, especially those with sensory needs, that movement actually helps them process and focus on what they’re hearing. I saw this in my own classroom with a student named Marcus. He would constantly alouds and my initial instinct was to correct him. But I noticed something fascinating. When I asked him questions about the story, He could recall details better than many of the students sitting perfectly still.
His body just needed to move for his brain to engage fully. So before we dive into strategies, I want you to shift your perspective slightly. The goal isn’t necessarily to have perfectly still and silent classroom.
The goal isn’t to have a perfectly still and silent classroom during read alouds. It’s to have an engaged classroom where the magic of the story can take hold. So the most effective way to handle wiggly students is to set yourself up for success before you even open that book. This starts with creating clear expectations, which we covered in depth in episode 15 of the Read Aloud Classroom.
One of the biggest game changers in my classroom was implementing strategic seating. This looks different for every class, but the concept is simple. Be intentional about where students sit during Read Alouds. For younger students, this might mean assigned carpet spots using tape markers or small carpet squares.
For my more energetic students, I placed them at the outer edges of our group so their movement wouldn’t distract others, but still close enough to see the pictures. I also strategically separated students who tended to chat with each other. And I received this question from Jessica in Oregon who asked, how do you handle wiggly kindergartners who just can’t seem to sit still for more than a minute?
Jessica, this next tip is especially for you. Start small and build stamina. Just like we would build reading stamina for independent reading, we need to build listening stamina for read alouts. Start with shorter books, even just five minutes, and celebrate when your class can maintain focus for that time.
Gradually increase the length as your students build that mental muscle. Another crucial factor is book selection. I can’t stress this enough. If students aren’t interested in the book, no management strategy in the world will keep them engaged. Choose books with engaging illustrations, interactive elements, humor, never underestimate the power of a funny book, topics that are relevant to your students interests, and appropriate complexity.
Not too easy, not too challenging. I love how one teacher in our community put it, the right book can silence even the wiggliest class. And finally, consider your physical space. Is the lighting too dim, making students feel a little bit tired? Are there visual distractions around the room? These environmental factors make a bigger difference than we sometimes realize.
In episode 16 of the Read Aloud Classroom, we dove deep into making Read Alouds interactive without losing control. Those strategies are perfect for keeping wiggly students engaged. So let me highlight a few that work especially well. Your voice. is your most powerful tool. Varying your volume, pace, and using different character voices can recapture wandering attention.
I’m not saying you need to be a professional voice actor. Believe me, I was not great at it. But a whisper at a tense moment or an excited tone during action scenes can pull students right back in. Another strategy is to plan strategic stopping points. Rather than waiting until the end of the book for discussion, incorporate brief pauses where students can turn and talk to a partner.
Show a quick hand signal to indicate their thinking. Stand up and act out a word or an emotion. or make a prediction with the partner sitting next to them. These quick engagement opportunities give wiggly students the movement they crave while keeping them connected to the story. I also love using silent signals during read alouds.
This might be thumbs up or thumbs down to answer a yes no question, showing emotions with facial expressions, or using hand signals to indicate agreement or confusion. These allow for whole class participation. without disrupting that flow of the story. And don’t underestimate the power of purposeful movement.
Incorporate motions that connect to the story.
Maybe students raise their hand when they hear a certain repeated phrase. Or they can act out a character’s movements. One of my favorite techniques is to pause and have students show me with your body how a character might be feeling.
Now let’s talk about those students who might need additional support to engage during read alouds. Fidgets can be incredibly helpful for some students, but they need to be used appropriately. So if you decide to introduce fidgets, be very clear about expectations. The fidget needs to stay in hands or on their lap, it shouldn’t make noise, it shouldn’t distract others, and if it becomes a distraction, the students lose that privilege.
I found that simple fidgets like a small piece of therapy putty or a soft stress ball work well during read alouds, and we also stress the idea that everybody gets what they need to be successful. But not everybody is going to get the same thing. Alternative seating is another odd combination to consider.
While I generally prefer read alouds to happen with everyone gathered together, Sometimes flexibility is needed. So that might mean wobble stools for students who need to move, cushions or pillows for comfort, maybe a standing spot at the back for students who focus better on their feet, or allowing certain students to sit in chairs rather than on the floor.
I received a question from Mark in Chicago and he asked, Is it ever okay to have students sit at their desks for read alouds instead of on the carpet? My answer is yes, absolutely. While I love the community feeling of gathering together, some classes or individuals simply do better with more structure.
So if you go this route, consider using a document camera or projector so everyone can see the illustrations clearly. And visual supports can also make a big difference. A visual timer shows students how long they need to maintain their focus. Picture cards can help remind students of expectations without interrupting your reading.
For some students, having a visual schedule of the read aloud routine provides that predictability that they need to stay regulated. Remember, these accommodations aren’t just about managing behavior. They’re about setting students up for success and removing barriers to their engagement with wonderful literature.
But even with the best planning, you’ll still face challenges. So let’s talk about how to handle some common situations. What do you do when one student is consistently disruptive? First, try proximity. Simply moving closer to that student while continuing to read can often help. If the behavior continues, you might need to implement a private signal system with that student or in some cases provide alternative seating.
But what about when you’ve lost most of the group? It happens to all of us. When you notice most students are disengaged, it’s sometimes best to pivot. You might say, I notice our bodies need a quick break. Let’s stand up and stretch for 20 seconds and then we’ll get back to our amazing story. This reset can sometimes work wonders.
And there are also times when it’s appropriate to adjust your plans. Maybe you plan to read the entire book, but the energy in your room tells you it’s not working today. It’s okay to say, we’re going to pause our story here and finish it tomorrow when our bodies are ready. This isn’t giving up. It’s responding to your students needs in the moment.
After a particularly challenging read aloud, take a moment to reflect. Was it the time of day? The book selection? The strategies you used? Each unsuccessful read aloud gives you valuable information for next time. And please, celebrate the small wins. When your typically most active student stays engaged for even five minutes, that’s progress worth acknowledging.
So today we’ve explored multiple strategies for keeping wiggly students engaged during read alouds. We talked about understanding that movement doesn’t always mean disengagement, setting up for success with strategic seating and appropriate book selection, using your voice and interactive techniques to maintain engagement, providing accommodations like fidgets and alternative seating for students who need them, and troubleshooting common challenges with flexibility and responsiveness.
Remember that building engagement is a process. It’s not an overnight fix. And what works for one group might need tweaking for another. The key is to be responsive to your students needs while still maintaining the joy of the Read Aloud experience.
So here are six actionable steps you can take after listening to today’s episode. Assess your current Read Aloud routine. What’s working and what isn’t? Is it the space, the timing, the book selection, or the engagement techniques? Try implementing strategic seating for your next read aloud. Place your most wiggly students where they can see well, and where you can easily maintain eye contact.
Consider allowing appropriate fidgets for students who need them. Start with just 2 3 students and establish clear guidelines. Choose a slightly shorter, but high interest book for your next read aloud to build success. Plan those 2 3 specific points in your story to incorporate movement or high engagement interactions.
And remember to notice and celebrate moments of engagement from your typically wiggly students. Even small improvements deserve recognition. And again, please don’t implement all of these at once. Choose one of these action steps to walk away with today and try them in your class tomorrow and see where it takes you.
Now, let’s end our episode with our books of the week. I am sharing five books to teach problem and solution. And as I was putting them together, almost all of these books have a dog theme as well, which I did not do on purpose, but you’ll see what they are. The first one is Dog Breath by Dave Pilkey. This is a pun filled book about a family pet, Halley Tosis, who has incredibly bad breath.
The Tosis family tries to help Halley get rid of the bad breath to no avail. But dog breath might actually be a good thing, especially when two thieves visit the Tosis family. Great one for teaching problem and solution. The next dog themed book is Harry the Dirty Dog by Jean Zion. This one features a cute little family puppy who despises his baths.
So much so that he hides his bath brush and runs away as he is away. He gets very dirty from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots as hunger strikes. He heads home only to find that the family doesn’t recognize him. This next one also has a dog themed, but this one is a stuffed dog.
Jamaica’s Fine by Juanita Havehill. It features a little girl named Jamaica who finds a stuffed dog and hat at the park. She takes the hat to Lost and Found but decides to keep the stuffed dog for herself. She finds herself wondering if she’s done the right thing by keeping the dog. She finally decides to take it back to the Lost and Found and finds a friend along the way.
This one is great to show that characters don’t always face external problems and that sometimes they have internal struggles and problems too.
Number four is The Stray Dog by Marc Samant. I told you we had a dog theme. A family goes for a nice picnic away from the city, only to meet a cute stray dog. They leave the park without the dog, but think about him all week. The next weekend, when the family returns to the park hoping that the stray dog will show up again, he does, but now they have another obstacle to overcome.
This is a cute book that requires kids to really pay attention to the story that the pictures also tell.
Our fifth book for teaching problem solution is actually not dog themed. This one is A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. Camilla worries about what others would think of her so much that on the first day of school, she wakes up with a bad case of stripes. Her body adds on the ailments of every fear she has until a kind old lady helps her to learn that it’s okay to just be herself.
This book has an explicit external conflict, but kids really have to read in between the lines to get the internal problem that Camilla faces and eventually conquers.
Thank you so much for joining me today in the Read Aloud Classroom. If you found these strategies helpful, I’d love to hear which ones work best in your classroom. Take a screenshot of this episode and share it on Instagram and tag me at the colorful apple with your favorite tip or biggest success. I can’t wait to see you next week in the Read Aloud Classroom.
