As elementary school counselors, our job is to equip students with essential social-emotional skills that serve them in school and beyond. The growth of self-control is a cornerstone of early childhood development, and storybooks are my favorite way to introduce it! Check out these 6 must-have books that teach self-control:
Before we dive into story book reviews and a couple of lessons to go along with them, let’s review the basics of teaching self-control.
Understanding Self-Control
Self-control is the ability to regulate one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
It involves managing impulses, delaying gratification, and making thoughtful decisions. Developing self-control helps students navigate big feelings, deal with frustration, and interact with others around them in positive and life-giving ways.
This SEL skill is difficult for many adults to manage and definitely doesn’t come naturally for most elementary-aged children.
Why Should We Teach Self-Control?
As we teach self-control, students benefit through greater:
- Academic achievement
- Improved ability to focus, manage distractions, & persist through challenges
- Healthy relationships
- Practice empathy, conflict resolution, & responsible decision-making
- Lifelong success!
While students progress through their elementary years, they continue to encounter new situations that require greater self-control than before, so refreshers from us are always helpful!
For more information, resources, and activity ideas that teach self-control, check out my blog post!
Books that Teach Self-Control
Children’s books about self-control make learning relatable and memorable for students. Check out these 5 favorites and add them to your counseling library this year:
- “Clark the Shark” by Bruce Hale
- “What If Everybody Did That?” by Ellen Javernick
- “Impulsive Ninja” by Mary Nhin
- “My Mouth is a Volcano” by Julia Cook
- “Soda Pop Head” by Julia Cook
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1. “Clark the Shark” by Bruce Hale
Clark the Shark really loves life! Unfortunately, his enthusiasm often results in him running inside the school, crashing all around the classroom, and being rowdy at recess. His big behaviors and lack of boundaries cause other students to avoid him. Through fun rhymes, Clark’s teacher helps him learn easy ways to tone things down and show self-control – while still having shark-sized fun!
“Clark the Shark” is my absolute #1, go-to book for teaching self-control, and I love it so much that I created a companion lesson to go along with it! My favorite part of this resource is the “in control” vs. “out of control” choices sorting game. It’s perfect for individual counseling, small groups, and classroom lessons.
2. “What If Everybody Did That?” by Ellen Javernick
In this book, kids learn about the consequences of their behaviors and how they impact others. The main character is a young boy who continues doing things that he’s told not to do. By thinking “What if everybody did that?”, the boy starts to realize that his poor choices can lead to undesirable outcomes. Some of the situations are very realistic like “What if everybody dropped one soda can out the window?” while others are purely humorous to keep children’s attention:
- “What if everybody threw a snowball at school?”
- “What if everybody blew a straw wrapper off of a straw?”
- “What if everybody splashed too much in the pool?”
This book is a great tool for teaching self-control, good citizenship, responsibility, and about being a part of a community!
3. “Impulsive Ninja” by Mary Nhin
“The Impulsive Ninja” is a super fun book (I love this whole series!) that teaches children how to control their impulses at home and school!
In this story, the Impulse Ninja learns to use his “power to pause” by stopping to think before acting. Students learn alternative ways to react to stress and show patience when things feel frustrating or overwhelming. Many relatable examples are included in this book to help students understand how to use self-control in their lives.
4. “My Mouth is a Volcano” by Julia Cook
In this book about self-control, Louis is always interrupting! He believes all his thoughts are important and should be spoken (and heard!). His words grumble in his tummy, wiggle on his tongue, and finally ERUPT out of his mouth. When other people start to interrupt Louis, he learns the importance of waiting his turn to talk.
This book is a great resource to help students learn about perspective-taking, too!
5. “Soda Pop Head” by Julia Cook
Lester is usually a pretty happy boy, but when things don’t go his way, he blows! Everyone calls him “Soda Pop Head.” His reactions are big and so unpredictable. Lester’s dad comes to his rescue and teaches him ways to manage his anger and stress. He learns coping strategies like taking deep breaths, relaxing his muscles, eating the right foods, and more. The problem-solving strategies in this book are easy to apply for children to use at home and at school when things just feel “too much”.
“Soda Pop Head” is another one of my all-time favorite books, and this companion lesson that I created is perfect to use with it! It reviews the main concepts of the story and teaches students 13 coping skills to manage anger and big feelings. I love using it with individuals, small groups, and in lessons.
Other Teaching Ideas
Beyond the explicit instruction you’ll provide by using books that teach self-control, you can support students in learning this important SEL skill in other meaningful ways, too!
As you intentionally model self-control throughout your day, your students WILL notice!
- They’ll see when you choose to use kind and respectful words after you’re spoken to disrespectfully.
- They will see when you choose a healthy snack instead of grabbing a soda every day.
- They’ll also recognize when you choose to respond calmly when the school schedule changes unexpectedly.
Reflection is another helpful tool to have in your counseling toolkit! Use discussion questions, small group interventions, and even reflective games to aid students in processing how they are doing in regards to choosing and showing self-control.
Incorporating these 5 books and strategies that teach self-control is sure to make teaching and supporting your students easier this year. You can rest assured that these books and their accompanying resources will help your students understand and show self-control as they face challenges of their own and interact with others.
Click “add to cart” right away to have these favorites in your counseling library as soon as possible!
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