Everybody talking at once

[Stripeyfeet]

We have four little monkeys aged 7, 5, 3 and 1. They all want to talk at the same time (well except the baby who just makes a joining in noise!) so I can't hear anyone. Is there some magic trick I've missed to get them to wait their turn to talk?? I'd like to get it right because as the youngest of three, every time I opened my mouth to say anything I was told to stop moaning!

[imip]

Oh god yes, this happens all the time! Mine are 7, 5, 4 and 1. About a year ago, I started telling the person who was talking to me second (or third or fourth) to wait their turn as someone else stopped. I try to deal with the first dc first, and then I speak to the next one. I think that's actually the important bit, remembering to speak to the next one!

I've notice now that they will deliberately begin to talk when the next one is talking. Your post is a timely reminder that I may actually mention when this happens to the,m, maybe call it talking in turns, and remind them that they will have to wait their turn to speak....

It is mind blowing, isn't it! I wonder if this is what it is like to be a teacher?

[Stripeyfeet]

That's why I'm sure there's some trick I'm missing - surely teachers manage to talk to the kids one at a time at some point in the day? It doesn't help that the seven year old never stops talking and the five year old (who was a late talker) has got to that point where he's desperate to say something but takes about five years getting it out. The younger two don't even care if anyone's listening yet so it's only going to get worse!! I think my options are earplugs and a big smile or some kind of talking stick (which will turn into a hitting stick when they still get interrupted!).