Impulsivity

Winner of the Counselor's Choice Award! Brothers Braden and Blake are the central characters in the Executive FUNction picture book series. One is quick to turn the smallest setbacks into the biggest life-shattering disasters while the other is...

Isaac is a second-grader who struggles with waiting his turn to be recognized by an adult. He’s a little impatient, and this can get him in trouble at school and in the world. When a tough problem has him stuck, Isaac blurts out. With patience,...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Do you ever get the wiggles? Blake does, a LOT! And when he gets the wiggles, he has a really hard time focusing on the task at hand. So, when Blake is distracted by kids playing in the schoolyard, it’s...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior and to keep one's cool in the face of disappointment. But when children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! When you're a child, it's not easy controlling your impulse reactions - kids do things before they think all the time. Strengthen executive function skills and empower impetuous young people with a humorous...

Work hard until the job is done!  That is the message Isaac hears repeatedly from his teacher, his coach, and his mom. They have to keep reminding him to finish his tasks because Isaac always – always – puts fun first.  During math...

Staying on task until a job is done can be tough for adults, so it's not surprising that it's also difficult for most children. Teaching kids the importance of staying focused and finishing tasks is something that will serve them well in life. Help...

At some point, most people have become annoyed when someone interrupts them. For children, this might be because they are really young, too impulsive, or have just never been taught how to interrupt appropriately. Award-winning author and school...

Focusing is easier said than done for some children. Being able to focus is a life skill and can help set children up for success. School counselor Bryan Smith has developed five downloadable activities for educators to use in the classroom to help teach...

Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior and to keep one's cool in the face of disappointment. These four activities developed by author Bryan Smith can help children with self-control. The lessons are designed to...

Impulse control is an executive functioning skill that allows you think before you act and to prioritize long-term success over short-term gains. When you have good self-control, you are able to resist doing things that may be harmful to yourself or to...

Staying focused and completing a task can be a difficult skill to manage for most children. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's Are You Working Hard or Hardly Working? storybook, by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in classrooms,...

Help remind young children in grades K through 5 how to control their impulses and become more self-reliant by reinforcing the message from Bryan Smith's But I Need Your Help Now! storybook. Display this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in classrooms, hallways,...

From Bryan Smith's Fix It with Focus storybook, remind students the steps on how to change their focus when distractions occur by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in classrooms, hallways, and other common areas in your school...

When children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset and angry. Reacting calmly and appropriately during these times is an important skill for children to learn and use to be successful at home, school, and with others. Reinforce the...

As a child, it's not easy controlling your impulse reactions. Kids do things before they think all of the time. Remind students of the steps to controlling their impulses from Bryan Smith's What Were You Thinking? storybook, by displaying this...