Teaching Kids to STOP and THINK

My little boys are incredible people. Kind, funny, and smart — and impulsive as the dickens.

They are certainly not alone. In the kindergarten classroom I see the same things again and again and again. Little ones hitting, pushing, interrupting, yelling, grabbing, and tattling.

Why? Simple. They are still very little. And making good choices is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced (a lot).

After making a poor choice to deal with a problem, most of these little ones can tell you exactly what they should have done. But in the moment, they didn’t make that choice.

This, in a nut shell, is why I decided to write Clever’s New Trick. This book is a social story for all of the little ones in my life who need a little help with learning to STOP and THINK when dealing with a problem.

And since I have this lovely community right here, I thought I would offer it to you as well, for the little ones in your life.

But before I introduce you to my book I wanted to chat with you about this trick that REALLY helps little ones remember to STOP when they are upset.

I would love to take credit for this one, but it’s not my idea. My husband is in fact a Psychologist who works with children on handling big emotions – low and behold, he has some fabulous ideas in this area.

We were discussing our little darlings one night, and I was complaining stating that they are just SO impulsive. One grabs a toy from the other, boom – impulsive reaction. One sits too close on the couch, boom- impulsive reaction. (I may have continued with examples for a very, very long time).

He suggested we talk to the boys about “alarm bells” and “warning signs” – and it has worked incredibly well!

Here’s the idea:

When we get upset, mad, or hurt our bodies have a physical reaction. Perhaps we get a tight feeling in our tummies, or our hands clench, or our face gets hot.

These feelings can be thought of as our bodies warning system – or as an “alarm” to let us know that we are feeling upset and we need to STOP.

That moment right there is so incredibly powerful.

Helping little ones become aware of their body and their feelings and recognize signs that they are upset so that they can stop before responding.

That is the one thing that will help little ones to stop being so impulsive.

That piece, and then of course practice. Practice, practice, and then more practice.

One fabulous way to practice this skill is with social stories. And with that, my friends, I bring you my brand new Children’s Book!!

Clever’s New Trick is a social story that explicitly teaches children how to deal with big and little problems, and handle big emotions.

Clever the Fox has learned the skills above and goes on a heart warming journey to make friends. As he is on his journey he meets woodland animals and has a chance to STOP and THINK before responding to many big and little problems.

We read this book all the time in my house, and in the classroom, and it has made such a humongous difference.

I hope you and your little ones love Clever’s New Trick friends.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you are having a lovely week!