Classroom Management, Reinvented: The Peek-a-Pet Strategy

If you’ve ever looked up mid-lecture and realized half your class is staring everywhere except at the slides, you’re not alone. While we all know that student-centered, inquiry-based learning matters deeply, there are times when you just need to get through some direct instruction…and in those moments, keeping teenagers’ attention can feel like an uphill battle. A few years ago, I found myself facing this exact problem and decided to try something a little unorthodox. The result? One of my favorite (and most effective) classroom management strategies to date: Peek-a-Pet.

How Peek-a-Pet Was Born

I noticed that students weren’t consistently keeping their eyes on the presentation during lecture-based lessons. Chromebook screens, side conversations, and wandering attention were creeping in. Instead of constantly redirecting or policing behavior, I wanted a strategy that motivated students to pay attention without a million reminders from me.

So, I started hiding tiny pictures of my dog, Cinnamon (a perfect, sweet-and-spicy 5-lb chihuahua), somewhere on my slides. The first student to spot her and call out “peek-a-pet!” would win a piece of candy.

The results were immediate. Students were suddenly laser-focused on the slides. They scanned every square inch carefully, which meant that they were actually engaging with the content AND having fun. I was getting the focus I hoped for, and students were getting gamified fun during important direct instruction moments.

Setting Clear (and Fair) Expectations

To keep Peek-a-Pet from turning into chaos, I established a few clear rules right away:

Students can only win once per class period.
The pet must be spotted live during instruction (not by previewing slides on Google Classroom, running into class, and saying “CINNAMON IS ON SLIDE 6!” Been there, done that, happy to save you from the same fate).
If it’s too close to call, the students I heard say “peek-a-pet” have to play rock-paper-scissors for it at the end of class.

These boundaries helped maintain structure while still allowing students to enjoy the game. It quickly became a routine students understood and respected.

How the Strategy Evolved

Over time, Peek-a-Pet grew beyond my beloved Cinny. Coworkers started sharing photos of their pets, and eventually, students asked if they could submit pictures of their pets, too. Suddenly, the slides felt even more personal—and students were excited to see whose pet might appear next.

I also updated the reward system. Instead of an immediate candy prize, students who spot a pet now earn a raffle ticket at the end of class. Raffle prizes range from small items like candy or stickers to bigger incentives like an assignment pass or a single extra credit point. This keeps motivation high while reducing constant interruptions during instruction.

Why It Works

Peek-a-Pet works because it taps into a few powerful classroom principles:

Positive reinforcement: Paying attention results in a win, and lack of focus has the natural consequence of missing out.
Purposeful attention: Students are engaged without feeling forced, and even students who may not care about the content have their eyes glued on the point of instruction.
Community-building: Peek-a-Pet creates laughter, connection, and joy, all while supporting a classroom routine that feels authentic to my teaching style.

It’s low-effort, flexible, and easy to adapt across content areas. Best of all, it doesn’t feel like “classroom management” in the traditional sense…it feels like fun!

No Pets? No Problem.

If the pet angle isn’t your thing, this strategy is still totally usable. You can:

Hide a secret emoji
Add a small symbol or character
Use a themed icon related to your content (someone please hide Shakespeare in their Hamlet slides + tell me how it goes?!)

The key is giving students a reason to look closely at the material in front of them, and rewarding that attention in a positive way.

Final Thoughts

Classroom management doesn’t have to mean constant power struggles. Sometimes, the best solutions are creative, joyful, and just a little unexpected. Peek-a-Pet has been a game-changer in my classroom for nearly four years, and it’s been amazing to see coworkers adopt it with just as much success.

If you’re looking for a simple way to boost attention, engagement, and classroom culture all at once, this might be the strategy for you. If you decide to try it out, email us at hello@survivinginsecondary.com and let us know what you think!