I have a friend who pinches the sh-t out of her 5-yr. old when he acts up. She pleasantly smiles and reaches out to him while he's running wild. It stops him in his tracks!
Another attention grabber is cold water in the face.
That will stop a hellion in her tracks.
My mama was a first grade teacher for years. Her preferred method, short of the paddle (which was kept handy) was the two tendons on the back of the neck between her thumb and fingers. And know what? She was beloved by her students.