About this activity
Twelve short reminders for voice conservation across a school day: voice rest for ten minutes, write or point instead; no yelling on the playground today; take a water break; do not whisper, use a soft easy voice; no cheering at the game, clap instead; do not talk over the noise, move closer instead; signal with your hand instead of calling out. Every one is a substitution rather than a prohibition.
How to use it in a session
Give one card to the classroom rather than the student. A voice rest that the teacher knows about is a rest; one the student has to negotiate mid-lesson usually does not happen. The hand signal card is the most practical, since it gives a student a way to participate without using their voice — otherwise voice rest costs them the lesson.
What to listen for
Watch whether rest is actually possible in the setting. A student told to rest their voice in a class that requires participation has been given an impossible instruction, and adjusting the setting is more effective than repeating the reminder. Notice the whisper card, which contradicts what most people assume and needs saying explicitly. Rest is a sensible response to a tired voice and not an answer to a persistent one. Hoarseness lasting more than about four weeks should be examined by an ENT rather than rested through.
Carrying it home
Quiet time after school is the easiest rest to arrange, and it costs nothing. Ten minutes of not talking after a loud day does more than any exercise.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through eighth grade, wherever voice conservation is part of the plan.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve cards are free to use with no account.
- Should a student whisper during voice rest?
- No. Whispering strains the voice rather than resting it. A soft, easy voice with normal vibration is the better option, and silence with a hand signal is better still.