Think It Or Say It-- Interactive Impulse Control Activity For The Classroom

Impulse control practice for social skills groups: children hear 24 everyday statements, from compliments to hurtful remarks, and raise a Think It or Say It paddle to show whether the words belong out loud.
Grades
Grades 1–4
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Sep 26, 2026

Subject
Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Special Resources
Topic
Think It or Say It, Impulse Control Activity
Resource types
Activities
Preparation
Print ready

From the author

About this resource

Are you looking for a way to practice self control with your students? This is the perfect impulse control activity you need for your groups, push-in sessions, and SEL morning meetings! This think it or say it activity is perfect for kids (or classrooms as a whole) who struggle with following classroom rules, or even struggle with social skills. This paddle activity includes DIY paddles for each student and a prompt sheet with things that kids might say.

Students are then instructed to hold up a paddle if that was something they should say or keep in their head! If you are doing individual lessons, take turns saying the prompts and answering and seeing if the students can catch your mistakes or wins! This activity is perfect for early elementary students, students that struggle with appropriate social skills, and students who struggle with blurting out. If you are using this activity as a whole class lesson, you can have them use white boards to answer the prompts with a thought bubble or a mouth as their answer!

Ideas for Use;

⭐Push-In Lessons

⭐Group Lessons

⭐For students who struggle with blurting in class

⭐Students that may struggle with kind words

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Decide whether a statement is kind to say aloud or better kept as a thought

  • Explain why a comment could hurt someone's feelings

Teaching tips

  • Each paddle template mounts on a pencil or popsicle stick with tape, so gather sticks before cutting out the paddles.

Skills covered

  • Social filtering — sorting each read-aloud statement with a paddle

  • Perspective taking — discussing with the group why a statement fits one choice

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