TeachersFirst Managing Impulsivity (Habit of the Mind) Resources
Welcome to our collection of resources on the Habit of Mind of Managing Impulsivity—the practice of taking your time, thinking before acting, and remaining calm and deliberative even in the heat of the moment. In a world that often demands quick reactions, we've gathered a variety of tools to help you foster calm, thoughtful, and deliberate decision-making in your classroom. In this collection, you'll find mindfulness videos and breathing exercises that help students develop self-awareness, interactive scenarios and decision-making simulations that practice the "pause and think" approach, printable stop-and-think cards and visual cue posters for classroom use, lesson plans for teaching students to pause and reflect, interactive scenarios where students can practice weighing consequences, and resources for helping them become more aware of their own thoughts and feelings, and self-monitoring checklists that encourage students to track their progress. You'll also discover timer tools and web resources that build in intentional waiting periods, as well as discussion guides to help students recognize their thoughts and feelings before reacting. These resources will provide concrete strategies and examples to help your students learn to consider multiple options, fully understand directions before starting a task, and respond to situations with intention rather than impulse.
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What is a Pause Place? How Can You Create One? - Cranium Kids Media
Grades
K to 8
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tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Have students brainstorm items that help them feel calm, such as pictures, quiet fidgets, or affirmations. As a class, design and set up the classroom's pause place together. Students can create simple cards showing emotions (happy, sad, frustrated, tired). When they visit the pause place, they select the card that shows how they feel. Create a menu of choices students can use in the pause place, such as drawing, stretching, reading a calm-down card, or practicing counting breaths. Have students select a tool and later explain how it helped.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Hank the Health Hero YouTube Channel - Hank the Health Hero
Grades
K to 3This site includes advertising.
tag(s): emotions (71), empathy (66), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
After watching a video, students act out different feelings Hank experiences. Have classmates guess the emotion, then discuss which clues helped them identify it. Create cards with actions like deep breathing, eating snacks, yelling, sharing, or leaving a mess. Ask students to sort them into "healthy choices" and "unhealthy choices" and explain why. In groups, students design a short comic strip using Cartoon Comic Maker, reviewed here that teaches a healthy habit or SEL strategy, just like Hank.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mostly Mindful for Teens and Tweens - Mostly Mindful for Teens and Tweens
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), podcasts (161), social and emotional learning (195), stress (7), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Begin class with a short breathing or grounding exercise inspired by the podcast. Have students close their eyes, listen to their breath, and focus on one calming word or phrase. Have students complete a quick "How am I arriving today?" slip. They can choose a word that describes their mood and jot down one strategy they might use to stay focused or calm during class. After listening to an episode, have students create a card explaining the featured strategy, when to use it, and how it helps the brain. Add these cards to a growing class toolkit for students to revisit throughout the year.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Stop and Think Folder - Lucky Little Learners
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), empathy (66), problem solving (274), social and emotional learning (195), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students choose a card that represents how they feel at the start of the day (happy, worried, tired, excited). As a class, briefly discuss which strategies help when different emotions arise. Create a small, calm corner with reflection sheets, pencils, and visual supports. Have students visit the station when needed to complete a short reflection about their behavior or emotions, similar to the Stop and Think process. Have students choose one behavior goal for the week, such as raising their hand, staying calm, or using kind words. They track their progress with simple checkboxes or smiley faces and reflect on what strategies helped them meet their goal.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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16 Habits of the Mind: Managing Impulsivity - WonderGrove Kids
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): empathy (66), listening (117), social and emotional learning (195), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students work in small groups to create a frozen pose that shows a specific emotion (sad, proud, frustrated, or excited). Other students can guess the emotion and practice using empathetic statements, such as "It looks like you might feel..." to begin building awareness. Pair students and give them a simple prompt (a favorite game, a time they felt proud, a challenge they faced). Have Partner A share for 30 seconds, and then Partner B must restate what they heard using "So you're feeling..." or "You shared that...". Have students help create an anchor chart titled "What Listening with Empathy Looks Like and Sounds Like." Add quotes or examples from the video and student-created ideas, then refer to it during discussions throughout the week.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Self Control for Kids - Impulse Control Skills - Mental Health Center Kids
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can share times and examples of when they have used the different strategies mentioned in the video. Students can create a digital book of students using the strategies using Storyboard That, reviewed here. Students can create a presentation for younger students about self-control skills and strategies using Visme AI Presentation Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Self Control's Stop-Think-Act Workbook - Psychological Mobile
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can use Kami reviewed here to annotate directly on the workbook. Students can create resources of their own scenarios in Book Creator, reviewed here. Students can create a digital escape room using Online Escape Room Templates, reviewed here to teach/reinforce self control.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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12 Games to Practice Self-Control - Pathway 2 Success
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), game based learning (304), preK (322), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can play the various games mentioned on the site. Students can share on Stormboard, reviewed here which was their favorite game to play. Students can compare and contrast the games using the Venn Diagram Creator by Canva, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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20 Self-Control Activities for Middle School - Pathway 2 Success
Grades
5 to 9This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), game based learning (304), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can play the various games mentioned on the site. Students can create a playlist of mindfulness videos/music using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Students can create an infographic sharing the importance of self-control using Mind Map Generator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Peace Out Podcast - Chanel Tsang
Grades
K to 5tag(s): behavior (49), classroom management (134), podcasts (161), social and emotional learning (195), stress (7)
In the Classroom
Play a short episode during transition time. Afterward, students can share one word that describes how their body or mind feels before and after listening. As a class, create a chart of relaxation techniques mentioned in episodes, such as breathing, stretching, or visualization. Students can practice choosing a strategy when they feel stressed or distracted. Have students listen to a calming story and draw what they visualize. They can label their picture with one strategy they heard, such as deep breathing or imagining a peaceful place.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Habits of Mind Explorer - Habits of Mind Insitute
Grades
K to 12tag(s): critical thinking (179), preK (322), problem solving (274), social and emotional learning (195), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Include this resource as part of a project-based learning unit by having students choose one habit to focus on as they work through a complex challenge. For a social studies project exploring historical figures, students can analyze which habits, like Taking Responsible Risks or Striving for Accuracy, were most critical to their subject's success. After conducting research, students can organize their insights and provide examples of these habits in action by creating a collaborative digital board with Lino, reviewed here. To take the reflection deeper, ask students to map out their own growth in that specific habit by creating a visual journey or mind map using MindMup, reviewed here shifting focus from just learning facts to understanding the mental behaviors that drive achievement, helping students become more self-aware and intentional learners.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Goal Setting - Easy Teacher Worksheets
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): behavior (49), classroom management (134), social and emotional learning (195), thinking routines (34), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Have students use completed goal sheets during conferences to explain growth, challenges, and next steps. This will help to build accountability and show progress. Use the goal planner before large projects (book reports, Reading Trek maps, research papers, robotics builds). Students can break the assignment into mini-deadlines and checkpoints to strengthen executive functioning skills. After quizzes or benchmark tests, students can analyze their results and set targeted improvement goals to gain ownership of their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brain Games for Stop and Think Power: A Set of SEL Kernels Practices - Greater Good Science Center
Grades
K to 6tag(s): classroom management (134), game based learning (304), social and emotional learning (195), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Play a short version of the "Freeze Feelings" where students freeze like a statue when the music stops, then have them name the feeling they imagine their statue is showing. Play a version of Simon Says with a twist. Before starting, tell students they must silently say "pause, think, act" in their heads before each movement. After a brain game, have students draw a quick brain snapshot using Google Drawings, reviewed here showing what helped them stop and think. They can sketch a stop sign, brain gears, or a strategy they used. Then have them share with a partner.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pause & Think Online - Common Sense Education
Grades
K to 2This site includes advertising.
tag(s): digital citizenship (108), internet safety (121)
In the Classroom
Teach students a simple hand-motion routine that matches the song's ideas (pause, think, protect, be kind). Use it as a warm-up before any digital activity to reinforce safe choices. Show a sample webpage or classroom-safe site, and model pausing and thinking before clicking. Students can then practice in partners, explaining their choices aloud. Give students picture cards of the Digital Citizens characters and brief online scenarios. Have them match each scenario to the character who would give the best advice, just like in the lesson.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Resisting the Marshmallow and the Success of Self-Control - PBS NewsHour
Grades
2 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): classroom management (134), social and emotional learning (195), teaching strategies (68), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Present quick scenarios such as "Do you play now or finish your homework first?" Have students vote using ClassQuestion, reviewed here, discuss their choices, and share what factors influenced them. Set up short, fun tasks like waiting 30 seconds before touching a card or completing a puzzle without talking. Have students reflect on what strategies helped them resist impulses. In pairs, have students create a safe, classroom-appropriate "challenge" (such as waiting to open a mystery envelope). They can predict which strategies would help someone succeed and then test and record the results.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Impulse Control - TPT
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): behavior (49), social and emotional learning (195), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
Each day, post a new impulse challenge inspired by tasks often found on TPT (wait your turn patiently, follow directions the first time, use kind words when frustrated). Have students track in Book Creator, reviewed here when they successfully meet the challenge and reflect on which strategies helped. Or use Book Creator to have them complete a reflection page where students write or draw a moment when they felt an impulse, what they wanted to do, and what they chose to do instead. Introduce a set of calming strategies such as deep breathing, counting to ten, or chair yoga. Have students create a small foldable or card that lists three strategies they can use when they feel impulsive.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cosmic Kids Yoga - Jaime Amor
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): social and emotional learning (195), thinking skills (115)
In the Classroom
After the yoga session, have students write a quick reflection: "How did my body feel before and after?" "What pose was easiest/hardest?", or "What did I learn about calming my mind?" Students can choose one pose from the video and explain the muscles they use during the activity. Yoga poses can be tied to health or PE by discussing balance, flexibility, and movement. In small groups, have students design a short yoga story with 4-6 poses. They can record the sequence using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, then present it to the class as a mini Cosmic Kids episode.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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10 Games to Build Stop-and-Think Skills and Regulation - Grow and Thrive Therapy
Grades
K to 5tag(s): classroom management (134), emotions (71), game based learning (304), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can play the various games mentioned in the site. Students can share on Padlet, reviewed here which was their favorite game to play. Finally, students can create their own game using Blooket, reviewed here to review the rules of each of the games.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Stop Think Act Impulse Control Free Printables and Song - Your Therapy Source
Grades
K to 4This site includes advertising.
tag(s): emotions (71), mental health (62), social and emotional learning (195)
In the Classroom
Students can create their own scenarios on practicing stop-think-act and record themselves using ScreenPal, reviewed here. Students can share times when they have lost their ability to control their emotions. Finally, students can use Magic School, reviewed here to create their own song.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Pomodoro Timer - Francesco Cirillo
Grades
K to 12tag(s): classroom management (134), organizational skills (88), Teacher Utilities (213)
In the Classroom
Students can use the Pomodoro Technique with the customizable timer for a month. While using it for a month, students can use Google Drawing, reviewed here to track their opinions of using the technique. Students can use Stickies.io, reviewed here to share ideas on how they are using the Pomodoro Technique and timer. Finally, students can use Kiddle, reviewed here to research more about the Pomodoro Technique.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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