10 Games to Build Stop-and-Think Skills and Regulation
Greetings! In connection with my last blog post about back to school readiness, it got me thinking about preparing for routines, self-control while in a classroom, and skills for cooperating with peers. Below are some great games I love using in my sessions to teach skills around self-regulation, impulsivity, social skills, and communication. A lot of these games require no equipment, are easy to learn, or you already have around your house!
Red Light Green Light
No equipment needed! A fun, outdoor, and easy to learn game. This helps build self-control and also helps with gross motor movement.
Simon Says
Another great game that helps practice body control, focusing, and listening skills. Take turns with who gets to be in charge.
Freeze Dance
Time to get on your dancing shoes and find a fun playlist! Another game that helps teach body control, skills around impulsivity, and listening skills. Allow them to also be in charge of stopping and starting the music to practice being in control in that role as well!
Jenga
I love playing this game with kids to help teach fine motor skills, moving slowly, and taking their time. They quickly learn if they pull a Jenga piece too quickly the tower will fall. Kinda fun for it to fall a few times at first to build those cause and effect connections! It builds awareness to be in control of their body so the tower doesn’t fall during someone else’s turn.
Mirror Game
This one is similar to Simon Says. You and your child face each other and one person is in charge of being the leader and the other is the “mirror”. Extra challenge: try no talking! Make funny faces, do silly movements, and get creative! This is great for teaching observation skills to match group expectations in the classroom (reading circle, lining up, joining a game at recess, etc.).
Pencil Balancing Game
Grab two pencils and stand at one end of the room. Face each other and place the pencils so they are balancing and being held between each of your palms, as if you were going to give each other a high five. The goal is to move together to get to the other side of the room without letting the pencils fall.
ABC Game
Pick a category (food, animals, games, cities, etc.) and go through the alphabet thinking of things for each letter. Promotes concentration, listening skills, and focusing.
I’m Going on a Picnic…
Another classic! Start with saying “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing…. _______”. You then have to keep adding and memorizing items. Keep track of how many you can get!
Don’t Break the Ice
If you have this game at home, this is great for turn taking and dealing with frustration! It also teaches self-control and planning ahead skills by being careful of which ice cube you pick.
Back-to-Back Drawing
Working in pairs, one person must describe a shape without naming it, while their partner must try to draw the shape they are describing to try and get as close the original shape as possible. This activity focuses on verbal communication and listening skills. Here is a link with instructions and some templates to use, or make your own! Back to Back Drawing Templates
There you have it! The goals and intentions of these games and activities is to promote the developmental skills of being in control for the appropriate context (the library, classroom, waiting in line, in the car, etc.). Working on these skills comes with balance as kids also learn lots of essential developmental skills from free play, spontaneity, creativity, and making mistakes. Have fun!