12 Delightful Attention Getters in Spanish for Your Classroom

As a teacher, you know the struggle of trying to call you students back! With these attention getters in Spanish, you can quickly use these call and response prompts to grab your students’ attention and continue teaching your lesson. As a non-native Spanish speaker, it took me some time to curate a list of attention getters in Spanish for my classroom.

These attention getters in Spanish are all call-and-response, where you, the teacher, call out and then your students respond chorally and give their full attention to you.

If you want a ready to go version of attention getters in Spanish to use in your Spanish or bilingual classroom, you can find my set of 24 posters here or by clicking the images below.

Rhyming Attention Getters in Spanish

These attention getters in Spanish are on the silly side. They may be best for lower grades, but my 4th graders liked them. I’m not including a translation with these because they’re pretty nonsensical.

Maestra/o: Otra cosa
Estudiantes: Mariposa

Maestra/o: Llama llama
Estudiantes: En pijama

Maestra/o: Serrucho serrucho
Estudiantes: A mi maestra/o escucho

Maestra/o: Hola hola
Estudiantes: Caracola

Behavioral Prompts for Getting Attention in Spanish

I like these attention getters because they give your students a little behavior reminder while also grabbing their attention.

Maestra/o: Ojos al frente
Estudiantes: Espalda recta
Meaning: Eyes front, back straight!

Maestra/o: A guardar a guadar
Estudiantes: Cada cosa en su lugar
Meaning: Clean up, clean up, put everything in it’s place.

Maestra/o: Uno, dos, tres, ojos en mí
Estudiantes: Uno, dos, tres, ojos en tí
Meaning: This is the Spanish version of “1, 2, 3, eyes on me!” “1, 2, eyes on you!” You could do “ojos en Usted” if that’s what you use, but my students called me tú.

Maestra/o: Zapatero
Estudiantes: ¡A tus zapatos!
Meaning: It literally means “Shoemaker- to your shoes!” It can mean “Stick with what you know best” or “stay in your lane”.

Traditional Attention Getters in Spanish

These attention getters are great for bringing biculturalism into your classroom as they use traditional dichos (sayings or proverbs) to engage students.

Maestra/o: Haz el bien
Estudiantes: No mires al quién
Meaning: This one checks all the boxes as it’s a rhyme, a dicho, and a behavior reminder. I would translate it as do what’s right and don’t worry about anyone else.

Maestra/o: Poco a poco
Estudiantes: Se llega lejos.
Meaning: Little by little, you go far.

Maestra/o: Al mal tiempo
Estudiantes: Buena cara
Meaning: in bad times, put on a good face.

Maestra/o: Colorín, colorado
Estudiantes: Este cuento se ha acabado.
Meaning: This is the traditional way to end a story, sort of the Spanish equivalent of “And they all lived happily ever after.”

Attention Getters in Spanish: Looking for a ready-made option?

Posters are a great way to keep a visual cue for both you and for your students. By hanging these in your classroom, you and your students can easily recall these attention getters in Spanish.

You can get my ready-made posters, which include 24 different attention getters in Spanish. I have a version with llamas or a version on a Mexican blanket. Please click the images below or on the links to read more information, see a preview, and make a purchase.