How to Keep Students’ Attention: Our Dragon in Year 3 Who Didn’t Want to Wake Up

Keeping children’s attention during lessons isn’t always easy. Sometimes, though, a little imagination works wonders.

In our Year 3 class, we had a dragon that we didn’t want to wake up. It reacts to noise—if it hears sounds, it tells the children to quiet down.

The students loved the idea, and something amazing happened: the classroom became silent. Everyone focused on their individual work to keep the dragon peacefully asleep.

If someone made a little noise, the dragon would “speak up,” and the children would immediately quiet down. This simple game had a big effect: students stayed focused and even reminded each other not to wake the dragon.

When noise management turns into a game, students engage in a fun and effective way.

Tip for teachers and parents:
If you’d like to try this approach, you can also check out this link:

Classroom Zen – Purple Mountains.