How to Stop a 6Year Old Talking in Class

This is the teacher's job. It's called classroom management. There is absolutely NOTHING you can do from home that will make a child stop talking at 10 AM or 2 PM. If the teacher doesn't want to resolve it, set up a conference with the school psychologist or guidance counselor or principal (with the teacher as well).

But this is either kindergarten or first grade, right? And it's September. It's early, and kids are getting into the swing of things still.

Did the teacher give you any more info than you have given us here? Not much to go on re other factors like special needs, medications, what's prompting in, or what has been tried.

Any teacher that expects you to fix this from home needs more professional development. That doesn't mean you can't be involved, and you should learn what is being tried so you can reinforce it from home, but otherwise this is up to the school to handle.

Sounds like you need to have a phone or face to face chat with her. Notes are usually very limited. Ask them for an appointment (because a teacher's time gets filled up quickly) and then ask what she might suggest.

More information is needed here.

What I can tell you, though, is that you and the teacher have to be on the same page. If not, nothing either of you does will work because there is no communication. Support each other.

I can't believe how everyone on here is so quick to say it is the teacher's problem. Yes, it is a problem for the teacher and she is doing what she can at school. But honestly some kids don't care if their little card goes from green to yellow to orange to red then they go to the office...big deal there, they get to color and play with legos and get a break from the classroom.

You act like there is something the teacher can do other than move the child to another space in the room, change the child's color card, and then send a note home. That is what the teacher can do...

Long gone are the days of any sort of punishment in the school...you can't keep them from recess, you can't make them write lines, etc etc.

Teacher's these days need back up from home. If you get a note home for talking then no electronics that afternoon or for a few days...or dessert after dinner...or going someplace after school. Parents need to follow through at home because they can make a consequence happen...teachers do not have many options anymore.

Just saying as a substitute teacher and having two kids in elementary...if you as a parent don't step in don't expect it to change much.

My 9 year old son is in 3rd grade. Our school has a green/blue/yellow/red system, and he was on red 3 or 4 times a month in kindergarten and 1st grade and 2nd grade. Nothing we did at home seemed to help. I'm not completely sure what his teachers did beyond reminding him to be quiet. In 2nd grade students serve an after school detention for being on red, and that still didn't seem to stop him. For the most part, it was repeated talking that got him on red. Sometimes goofiness or a little horseplay. But for the most part, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut!!!

The principal assured me that he was just a typical boy who would mature. Really??? I wasn't so sure. Something has change, though, because he has been on green every day this year. No kidding! Every day! Peer pressure!!! Honest! For some reason, he decided the other kids would like him more if he got on green. I'm not saying that works for every kid, but our principal said for most kids there comes a point where they will decide for themselves that getting on green matters.

It's really important for you to support the teacher in any way you can. You can reinforce what matters to that teacher and remind your child not to talk in class. But really, the teacher has to figure out how to handle this one. That's part of the job. This is not the first child who is going to talk in class (and be disruptive), and he/she is certainly not the last. It is part of teaching.

Do what you can. Support the teacher. Remind your child of the rules. But in the end, this is not your problem. The teacher needs to figure this one out.

this isn't enough info to go on. We need more to offer any suggestions.

Ummm, it's the TEACHER'S job to manage their classroom. Consequences IN CLASS will make a difference. Nothing you do at home will stop it. Your talking to your child won't stop it. It's the teacher's job to manage the kids in the classroom. If they can't do their job then I think I'd rather take this to the principle and ask them to help the teacher learn classroom management skills and help them give immediate consequences. Like going to the principles office each time the teacher has to get on them. BUT the principle will need to find out what was going on. Maybe the kiddo can't hear the teacher and is having to keep asking what was said. Maybe they needed to borrow a pencil or paper. Just because a student is talking doesn't mean it's "all" bad.

Is this a kindergarten or first grade class?
If the teacher does not want to try YOUR solution, ask her what she is going to do? Ask how you can back her up?

All you can do is tell your child that it is not good manners to talk in class. Maybe give your daughter a goal. If she can go for 3 days without talking in class she will get an ice cream or whatever her currency is. If she can go a whole week, she can pick out a new book..2 weeks, you will take her to the movies.. If she has a hiccup, congratulate her for trying and start over...

Ask your daughter for her own solutions. Interrupt her when she is trying to speak, or is watching tv or she is playing with friends. When she gets frustrated point out, this is how teacher feels.

Always recognize her accomplishments and her efforts on this situation.
I was a talker.. Sometimes the teacher would move me to a desk alone. Sometimes she would move me to a table that was all boys except me. She also used to have a desk right next to her desk.. Thank goodness I never was moved there! I would have been so emberassed.

We need more info. Does the child blurt out answers to questions without raising his/her hand? Is the child chatting with other kids when he or she should be doing quiet work? Does the child just talk out loud when the teacher is talking? Is this first grade?

Have you talked with your child about being able to listen when it's appropriate and required? Do you role play? Does your child interrupt you when you're relating a story at the supper table, or does he or she talk about completely unrelated things when you're reading a story to your child? Is your child able to sit quietly, without talking, when watching a tv show?

What kind of communication is your child's teacher saying? Is it that your child just talks over the teacher, or chats with friends? Is this a traditional classroom? Is your child talking after recess or lunch, or all the time?

Help us understand the situation more clearly and maybe we can provide some insight or advice.

Children at that age love to talk. They are constantly asking questions, making comments, and sharing ideas. However, some teachers don't see talking as part of the learning experience. In order to help your grandson learn to control his talking, here are a few ideas.

Ask him questions like:
Who are you talking to?
What are you talking about?
Is it related to what you are learning or about something you saw on TV?
What is the teacher's rule about talking during class?
When can you talk when you are at school?
Are you calling out answers during a lesson?
Sometimes finding out the main reason why he likes to talk can give you some insight as to how to help him.

Give him some options. He probably doesn't know what to do if he can't tell his friend right away what he is thinking. One idea is to give him a pad and a pencil. He can either write a word or sentence (or draw a picture) to help remind him what he wants to say. Then when he can talk to his friend, he can look at his pad as a reminder.

Another idea is to give him 5 (or whatever number you like) popsicle sticks. Each time he talks he uses up a turn. He gets five turns in the morning and 5 for the afternoon. You will have to get with the teacher to really make this idea work.

Hopefully this will give you some idea of where to begin with controlling his talking.

http://aimsely.com/

I agree with the previous moms - need to know more about why teacher doesn't seem to want to try a solution.

Where it's the beginning of the school year, could the teacher just be trying to nip it in the bud - perhaps she/he's already talked to your child on several occasions and would just like you to say something on your end?

I would talk to my child about need to pay attention and respect teacher so that she/he can do their job and other kids can focus and learn. Hard to listen when kids are talking, etc. I would tell my child that I will be in touch with the teacher to let them know that we talked about it at home. And that you'll tell teacher to keep you up to date to make sure it improves.

Just send a note back to teacher if that's how they communicated with you - and ask they call or email you (call is better) if it's a real problem or gets worse. If it's bad, you can just have a quick meeting at the school - go in after the kids get out or before school (they usually are available then).

Good luck :)

While you can talk with your child and set up a consequence for if another note gets sent home, I would also talk to the teacher about what kinds of things are being done in the classroom in the moment to help. In my sons school they have color codes for behavior, with the lowest being orange and red. There is some free time on Fridays where the kids get to play around but if you got on orange or red during the week you do not get to participate, you have to go to study hall instead. This seems to help kids stay on task better during the week.