1. Criss Cross Applesause- this is the new saying for crossing your legs since Indian style is no longer appropriate.
2. Pop a Marshmallow- This is what I read on Class Dojo and it made me laugh and question it. Pop a Marshmallow means to be quiet. The kids are supposed to pretend that a marshmallow is in their mouth.
3. Pop a Bubble- The teacher said it means the same thing, but she thinks she'll change it to this since the kids were getting hungry when she asked them to pop a marshmallow.
4. Just one drop, then you stop!- I heard my daughter say this yesterday morning. In this sense, it applied to her gluing some letters to her homework. I wish that this was a saying when I was in school, because I'm pretty sure I used more glue than I should have. Maybe there's also a saying about not putting glue on your hands and waiting for them to dry before peeling the glue off.
5. Hocus Pocus, Everybody Focus- I asked some of my teacher friends which sayings they tell their kids. One gave me a few sayings for pay attention. This is one of them.
6. Scooby, Scooby Doo, Where are you?- This is another way to say pay attention or to get them to stop what they are doing and to get to where they need to go.
7. 1, 2, 3, Eyes on Me.... 1, 2 Eyes On You- This saying is to get the kids to focus on you and the second part is to get them to mind their business, but essentially, calm down and listen!
8. Walking Feet- This saying is meant to have the kids walk nicely and not stomp or run around.
9. Hugs and Bubbles- Keep your hands to yourself and keep quiet. This one is used when in the hallway and traveling to the next destination.
10. Mona Lisa- This is to get the kids to sit still with their hands on their laps and mouths shut just like the painting of the Mona Lisa.
I'm a parent who yells first and then ask questions later. I know that the words I say can hurt my children's feelings. These sayings are so nice. It gets our kids to do the action we need them to do and you can't say them harshly. Now, whether or not my kids can hear me, that will be a test to tell, but they're better than the alternative to yelling at them to shut up. Besides, the teachers ingrain these sayings into our children's brains, so if we can learn them, then maybe there won't be a fight to get them to calm down.
Do you have any little sayings you tell your children? What do you use? What's your favorite?