Stop and Go: A Freeze-Style Impulse Control Game for Kids
Stop and Go is an impulse control game for kids: move on Go, freeze on Stop, then switch the rules. Play it in the room, on one device, or with each child on their own phone.
A game, not a treatment for ADHD and not an assessment.
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Keep it fun: no penalties, no comparing children. Start on Calm speed with younger children. Stop if a child is distressed, and adapt the moves for children with limited mobility (blink, wave or nod instead of moving).
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How to play- When the Go card shows, move: march, dance or tap the Move button.
- When the Stop card shows, freeze like a statue until the next card.
- Round 2 switches the rules: Stop means move and Go means freeze.
- Round 3 adds Slow: move in slow motion. Each round has seven cards.
- Freezing well earns a star. A wobble is fine – just freeze again.
About the technique
Impulse control games are short, playful activities in which a child has to stop an action on a signal, wait, or switch to a new rule. A stop-and-go game is the simplest of these self-regulation games: everyone moves while a Go cue shows and freezes on a Stop cue. Each freeze is practice in stopping a movement that is already under way, which children find much harder than starting one.
Freeze and rule-switching games have long been part of preschool circle time. Tominey and McClelland (2011) turned a set of them into a short program and tested it in a small randomized trial: preschoolers played the games in adult-led playgroups twice a week for eight weeks. There was no effect across the whole sample, but children who started with low self-regulation gained more on a behavioral self-regulation task than children in the control group. A later Head Start evaluation reported self-regulation gains as well (Schmitt et al., 2015). The games work on three skills at once. Stopping on a signal practices inhibitory control, keeping the current rule in mind practices working memory, and changing what Go and Stop mean in the second round practices cognitive flexibility. This tool keeps that structure: a round with the usual rules, a round where the rules switch, and a round that adds a Slow cue.
The evidence is weak: one small trial with no effect across the whole sample and a larger Head Start evaluation, both of adult-led group play with preschoolers; this online version follows the same moves but has not been tested on its own. It suits children from about 4 to 10, in a session, a classroom group or at home with a parent, in the room or over video. It is a game, not a treatment for ADHD and not an assessment of attention, so keep it fun, never compare children, start on the calm speed, and adapt the moves for a child with limited mobility. Stop if a child becomes distressed. With children, any activity can lead to a disclosure of abuse or neglect: know your mandated-reporting duty before you start.
For therapists: how to run it
For therapists: how to run itGoal
A child practices stopping on a signal, remembering a rule and switching when the rule changes, while having fun.
In session
- In the room: choose Play in the room and let the child (or the whole group) move to the cards. Tap Froze! or Oops after a Stop card if you want a count; it is optional.
- On video: press Play together and send the link. The child's device shows the same cards and its own Move button, and you see how many froze on each Stop.
- Before Round 2, say the new rule out loud together. After it, ask: "What helped your body stop?" Name what they did ("You waited and watched the card").
- Copy the summary for your note. It lists only what the game saw: rounds, cards shown and freezes held.
As homework
- Play on this device with a parent, once a day for a few minutes. Start on Calm speed.
- The parent plays too and freezes with the child. Make wobbles funny, never a reason to stop the game.
- At the end, tap Copy for my therapist and paste it into your therapist's secure messages, or bring it to your next session. Nothing is saved.
With a group
- Press Play together and send the link or code. Each child plays on their own device; the cards change for everyone at once.
- You see one group line after each Stop card ("3 of 4 froze"), never a score per child.
- Agree first that wobbles are part of the game. Celebrate the group's best freeze, not a winner.
Exercises like this can lead to disclosures of abuse, neglect or risk. Know your reporting duties before you start, and pause if one comes up.
A freeze game that practices stopping a movement on a signal, holding a rule in mind and switching when the rule changes. It is a game, not a treatment for ADHD or a test of attention. Keep it playful, start slow and stop if a child becomes upset. Use cards, not names, in a group: there is no ranking. With children, any activity can lead to a disclosure of abuse or neglect. Know your mandated-reporting duty before you start.
Worksheets that pair with this tool
Worksheets that pair with this tool
Sources & credibility
- Method
- Self-regulation circle-time games: move and freeze on signals, then switch the rules (inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility)
- Developed by
- Shauna Tominey and Megan McClelland (Oregon State University)
- First described
- 2011
- Approach
- Developmental psychology / early childhood self-regulation
- Evidence
- Limited evidenceIn a small randomized trial with 65 preschoolers, children played rule-switching circle-time games in small groups twice a week for eight weeks. There was no effect on behavioral self-regulation across the whole sample, but children who started with low self-regulation gained more than similar children in the control group. A later, larger Head Start evaluation of the same game program reported self-regulation gains. These studies tested adult-led group play; this online version follows the same moves but has not been tested on its own.
References
- Tominey S. L. & McClelland M. M. (2011). Red light, purple light: findings from a randomized trial using circle time games to improve behavioral self-regulation in preschool. Early Education and Development, 22(3), 489–519. Source
- Schmitt S. A., McClelland M. M., Tominey S. L. & Acock A. C. (2015). Strengthening school readiness for Head Start children: evaluation of a self-regulation intervention. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 30, 20–31. Source
How it was made
Built by the Mentalyc team from the original method and the published sources listed here. Nothing you enter is stored.
Questions people ask
Questions people askWhat games help with impulse control?
Games where a child has to stop on a signal and wait help most: freeze games, stop-and-go games, turn-taking board and card games, and games where the rules switch partway through. They practice stopping an action, holding a rule in mind and changing course when the rule changes.
How do you play the stop and go game?
Everyone moves while the Go card shows and freezes on the Stop card. It works like Red Light, Green Light, with a rule switch in round two. In that second round the rules switch, so Stop means move and Go means freeze, and a third round adds a Slow card for slow-motion moves. Each round is short, and a wobble is just a reason to freeze again.
How can I help my child with impulse control?
Practice stopping in play, where mistakes are fun: freeze games, waiting games and turn-taking. Name what the child did well ("You watched the card and waited"), keep rules short, and add one new rule at a time. If impulsivity causes real problems at home or school, talk to a pediatrician or a child therapist.
At what age do children develop impulse control?
Self-control grows a lot between about 3 and 7 years old and keeps developing into the teens. Preschoolers can learn simple stop-and-go rules; switching rules is harder and improves with age and practice. Children differ widely, so compare a child with their own progress, not with others.
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Children should use this with a parent, therapist or teacher, not on their own.
Educational practice aid, not a medical device. Not a substitute for therapy, diagnosis or emergency care.