Think Before You Act Game — Impulse Control Kit (K–1)

About this resource

For young children, the gap between wanting something and grabbing it can be almost nothing. The Think Before You Act Game is an impulse control SEL activity kit for kindergarten and Grades K–1 that stretches that gap with a red card for stop and think and a green card for go ahead. It builds Self-Management.

What students practice

• Understanding what impulse control means
• Stopping on a signal
• Deciding when a moment calls for a pause
• Showing a better choice

What’s inside

• A teacher script with timed steps, plus a flexible outline for teachers who prefer their own words
• Red and Green Cards, cut-out signals for stop and think and go ahead
• 24 Scenario Cards, each with Stop and Think and Go Ahead boxes
• An Impulse Control Worksheet and a Game Instructions Sheet with five steps plus an example scenario
• A Behavior Reflection Chart, a Monday-to-Friday log of good choices; 24 pages in all

A look inside

• Teacher script: “Your friend is using the toy you want. Should you grab it?”
• Game Instructions example: “You see a toy you want to play with, but someone else is playing with it.”
• Impulse Control Worksheet: “What did you decide to do after thinking?”

How to use this think before you act game kit

• Start with a funny “oops” story of your own, then introduce the red and green cards
• Play Red Light, Green Light with a twist: when students freeze, they pretend to think
• Read scenario cards and students hold up red or green, then talk through each answer
• Use it after recess or in morning meeting, replaying scenario cards in short rounds

Grade fit

The red and green cards and the stop-and-go game suit kindergarten and first grade. As SEL activities go, it is a movement game, so it suits a busy day.

Pairs well with

For Grades 1–3, try Pause and Think, or practice patience with The Waiting Game.