Skip to Main Site Navigation Skip to Content Skip to Footer
Back To Top

Gaining Children's Attention

Teaching Strategies Series 

Preschool teacher Nereida Diaz describes a strategy she uses in her classroom to focus children's attention, particularly after a period of active play. She puts her hands to her eyes to resemble a pair of glasses and says the phrase, "Hocus Pocus; everybody focus." The children respond with the same gesture and repeat the word, "focus."

Watch video

Arrow
Gaining Children's Attention
Play
decorative edge

Did you find this video useful? 

 Please consider making a $1 donation to help support our efforts to make additional videos. ($5 or $10 would be great, too!)

We'd also love to hear your feedback on this video.
decorative edge

  • Gaining Children’s Attention

    (This video has captions. You can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video.)
    Download a printable transcript in English and Spanish.

    Nereida Diaz, Preschool Teacher, New Heights Child Development Center: Well we learned my assistant and I, we learned something that we call “Hocus Pocus, everybody focus,” and I go like that. “Hocus Pocus, everybody focus,” so they just look at me and go like that.

    Nereida: Hocus Pocus, everybody…
    Children: Focus!

    Nereida Diaz: And even, they finish the sentence, and they focus on me.

    Nereida: Hocus Pocus, everybody…
    Children: Focus!
    Nereida: Focus; everybody focus.

    Nereida Diaz: After they do some exercise, they get so active that we want to calm them. If they’re like, too overactive, we just say “Hocus Pocus, everybody focus,” and that helps a lot.

  • Producer: Terry Surprenant
    Videographer/Editor: Sean Leser

    The Center wishes to thank New Heights Child Development Center in Willimantic, Connecticut, for their cooperation in the making of this video.