No, not freely. Students should never be allowed to talk socially in class whenever they wish.
However, when narrowly defined, giving your students the option to talk with their friends for a minute or two during the school day is a smart idea.
Here’s why:
It improves your likability.
It’s important your students like you because it gives you more leverage and influence over their behavior choices. It also helps make your rules and consequences matter to them.
Allowing your students a few moments to catch up during the day is a simple little thing, but they’ll appreciate you for it immensely.
It improves focus.
60-90 seconds or so is all it takes to “clear the boards.” It purges their thoughts from being dominated by what they desperately want to tell their friends.
Once behind them, they’re better able to focus on the here and now. They’re better able to lock in on you and the challenges you place before them.
It combats boredom.
Sitting too long causes excitability and restlessness. Short breaks throughout the day relax the body, clear the mind, and promote better listening and production.
I allow students to get up and move around the room when they talk because it gets their blood moving and helps keep boredom at bay.
It improves behavior.
Because occasional breaks assuage excitability and cause your students to like and appreciate you—and therefore want to please you—they’re less prone to misbehavior.
It’s the Law of Reciprocity in action. Meaning, they’ll want to pay you back for your kindness and understanding.
It allows you to join in.
Chatting with students with no strings attached is a great way to build rapport and mutual trusting likability.
It’s also fun and gives you a chance to prove that you don’t hold any grudges. It communicates that you like and appreciate all students, even your most challenging.
Teach It
You can’t, however, simply allow your students to get up and wander the room. You can’t say one day out of the blue “Go ahead and talk with your friends.”
This will only cause more headaches, not less.
You must teach and model exactly what one minute (or more) of socializing looks like. Your students need to know exactly what is and isn’t okay—including appropriate topics of conversation.
They must be assured that if they stray outside the parameters you’ve set up, you’ll hold them accountable.
If you’re a high school or middle school teacher you may want to allow a minute or two midway through the period. The beginning of class as they enter the classroom also works.
Elementary teachers should plan for it a couple times of day, perhaps once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
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I’m 100 percent on board with this! Especially if your school has large instructional blocks. Plenty of extra time built in.
Seems like it might work…..I might try it. I’m a sub, and sometimes it’s hard enough as it is, especially when teachers leave a sub plan of two or three pages of detailed single-spaced instructions to be completed in the precious forty or fifty minutes of classroom time. My only concerns are that it might slip into two or three (or more) minutes—not counting additional time for the students to “decompress”—or that the principal happens to pop in (per Murphy’s Law) at that exact time and does a gotcha.
This is a technique from Kagan that works well. Play music to get them up and moving and tell them when the music stops they should thank their partner and sit down.
When I started subbing, some teachers left plans and some did not. I agree with you that the required sub plans are very detailed. I typically skip straight to what will get the students working or on task. During planning I read the rest to see if there is anything I need to know.
In my current district, students arrive in the classroom along with the substitute which makes it even harder. Letting students talk and socialize during this time has been a blessing and a curse. I’d rather be at the door greeting them and getting to know them.
I’ve been doing this for the better part of a decade. I call them “mingle minutes.” (Modeling is key at the beginning of the school year.) It’s been an absolute game changer.
I love this! I do this everyday with my 7th grade Pre-Algebra students. When they come in to the classroom, they quietly complete Bell Work while I take attendance. Then we go over Bell Work and any tough homework problems from the previous evening. Before I start the lesson of the day, I give them 2 minutes (I set a timer) to turn in their Bell Work and homework to the basket. During this time they are allowed to chat with each other. They look forward to it, and the 2 minutes seems a perfect amount of time for them and for me, too, in prep for my lesson.
I have recently been thinking about how students are told to “be quiet” and “stop talking” all day at school. I think we do need to fit in *structured* times for them to chat. Thank you for the reminder.
This is a good idea. I would appreciate some specifics as to HOW to teach it. Also, what prompt do you give to get the socializing going?
Thanks
I set a timer that is visible for students to see. I set it for 2-3 minutes. When I model “mingle minutes,” we talk about appropriate classroom behavior and voice levels. We also discuss being mindful of the timer and getting back to seats BEFORE the timer goes off. If students have trouble abiding by the rules, I take away seconds/minutes. When they show me they can act appropriately, I put them back. Individual students who do not act appropriately are asked to return to their seats and cannot participate. (I’ve found that I only have to do this once or twice for individuals. They don’t want to miss out on this precious social time.)
Second grade teacher here. I’ve noticed the kids are super chatty after lunch. This year I tried out an idea: social time for 5-10 minutes after lunch. They play with toys or crafting activity. I also have gonoodle playing. We review beforehand…no running, no yelling, etc. I also incorporate bathroom break for one boy and girl at a time during this time. It has proven to be a HUGE improvement on behavior!
I subbed for a teacher who did this too. Unfortunately, the students still needed to be excused to the restroom during instruction.
I will try it again, but they usually make their own rules like talking during independent reading time/partner activities
This article offers a balanced and practical perspective on classroom management. Allowing short, structured social breaks acknowledges students’ natural need to connect while maintaining order and focus. It highlights how brief, well-managed social time can strengthen teacher-student relationships, enhance focus, reduce boredom, and promote positive behavior. Importantly, the author reminds educators that such practices require clear modeling and boundaries to be effective. Overall, it’s a thoughtful reminder that a little flexibility and empathy can go a long way in creating a respectful and productive learning environment.
I give my middle school students a 2 minute break halfway through class. This is for a break from sitting still or in good singing posture and to provide an opportunity for bathroom break and a drink break. I can attest that it does help them come back more focused and ready to start anew. Also, it eliminates their need to use the restroom and drinking fountain in the middle of class. I’m lucky to have the bathroom directly across the hall from my classroom and a little courtyard right outside my classroom on the other side. The boys choirs, especially, like to go out and play wall ball for those two minutes. They love it! I can also use this to reward them every once in a while by adding minutes to it.
Socialization is part of Montessori elementary class. However, they need to be chatting mostly about work. This is very challenging for you ger children. It is very tricky to monitor…some students have timers to not get out of hand…I need to give feedback to some students frequently as they get carried away socializing…still tweaking how to make this work smoothly. It does create a more relaxed environment but the focus also needs to be there as well. So I often t
Redirect some students