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• Early Edge
• Games for Self-Control
• Preschool to Kindergarten Transition Form
• Self-Regulation

Try these games today with your child or class - a fun way to work on following directions and practicing self-control!

Red Light, Purple Light

Like the traditional “Red Light, Green Light”, the teacher acts as a “stop light” by standing at the opposite end of the room from the children.  The “stop light” holds up different colors to represent stop and go.  Use different colors, such as purple for “go” and orange for “stop” and then do the opposite.

The Freeze Game

Children and teachers dance to music. When the teacher stops the music, everyone freezes in place.   Use slow and fast songs and have the children dance slowly to slow songs and quickly to fast songs.  Once the children master these skills, have the children try moving to opposite cues:  dance quickly to the slow songs and slowly to the fast songs!

Cooperative Freeze

An adaptation of the Freeze Game; when the music stops, the children have to find a mat to stand on and freeze.  Teachers then remove mats so that children have to cooperate with one another to find a space for everyone on fewer mats.

Sleeping, Sleeping, All the Children are Sleeping

Children pretend to sleep when the circle leader sings, “Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping.”  Once children are pretending to sleep, the circle leader says, “And when they woke up… they were [monkeys]!”  Children wake up and pretended to act like monkeys.  The circle leader then repeats the song and suggests other animals.  Children who are pretending to sleep are called on to give suggestions for other animals.

You can make this more complicated by showing 3 different colored circles (ex: red, blue, purple).  On the red circle have a picture of a snake, on the blue circle have a picture of a butterfly and have no animal pictured on the purple circle.  When it is time to wake up, the circle leader points to one of the circles and the children act out the animal on that circle.  Pointing to the purple circle (the circle with no picture) allows the leader to choose any animal.  After a few rounds, you can remove the pictures and children have to remember what animal was on each circle.

Conducting an Orchestra

Every child has a musical instrument.  The circle leader uses a drum stick as a conducting baton.  When the conductor waves the baton, the children play their instruments.  When the conductor puts the baton down, the children stop playing their instruments.  Children play their instruments quickly when the baton moves quickly and slowly when the baton moves slowly.  Children are then asked to respond to the opposite cues.  For example, when the conductor waves the baton, the children stop playing their instruments and when the conductor sets the baton down, the children play their instruments.

Drum Beats

Teachers uses drum beats to represent different actions that children can do while sitting (e.g., clapping or stomping) or while moving around the room (e.g., walking or dancing).  For example, children walk quickly to fast drumming, slowly to slow drumming, and freeze when the drumming stops.  Teachers also ask children to respond to opposite cues (walk slowly to fast drum beats and quickly to slow drum beats).  Teachers may also associate different actions with specific drum cues.  For example, slow drumming can mean stomping feet and fast drumming can mean jumping jacks.

♥ A big thanks to Dr. McClelland and team* for providing us with these self-regulation practicing games!