Practicing Self-Control: 5 Powerful Activities for Middle School Classrooms

Posted In Application On May 15, 2025

Practicing self-control is one of the most critical components of a successful middle school experience. Whether students are managing impulses, resisting distractions, or responding thoughtfully in social situations, self-control is central to their development of strong executive function skills. Teaching executive function skills like self-control not only empowers students to take ownership of their learning and behavior but also improves academic performance and promotes positive peer interactions.

In grades 5–8, students are increasingly aware of their emotions and the impact of their behavior on others, but they still need explicit executive function instruction to apply self-regulation strategies in real-time. Here are five classroom-tested activities to help students begin practicing self-control in concrete, meaningful ways. These activities promote executive function learning, encourage student reflection, and provide executive function tools that support both academic and behavioral growth.

1. Create a Self-Control Observation Chart

One engaging and reflective way to support students in practicing self-control is to have them create an eight-box self-control chart. Each student folds a blank piece of paper into eight boxes and writes a different example of self-control in each one. Examples might include: “waiting my turn,” “not responding to a text during class,” or “staying calm during a disagreement.”

Over a set period of time, have students observe others—classmates, teachers, or even people outside of school—and try to find real-life examples that match each box. Each time they see someone demonstrating self-control that matches one of their examples, they record it on the chart. This activity builds awareness of the skill in action and strengthens their executive function learning by connecting theory to observation.

2. Use a Stop Sign to Pause and Reflect

Practicing self-control often starts with learning to pause. This next strategy turns that concept into a daily habit. Ask students to draw a small stop sign and place it somewhere they’ll see frequently—on their binder, water bottle, or desk.

Over several days, encourage students to use the stop sign at least 10 times a day to mentally pause, reflect on what they’re doing, and ask themselves:

• What will happen if I keep doing what I’m doing?
• What will happen if I stop?
• Is this a time to stop or keep going?

This strategy builds a habit of self-awareness and metacognition, critical parts of any executive function system. It also supports students’ self-regulation and improves their performance in academic and social contexts.

3. Practice Thoughtful Communication

Another essential component of practicing self-control is thinking before speaking. Over the course of a week or more, students should record at least three instances when they thought carefully about how to say something to someone in a way that would be better received.

After each instance, have students reflect:

• How did the other person respond?
• How might things have gone differently if I had said something else?

This executive function strategy helps students build communication and social skills while fostering empathy. It also contributes to student self-confidence, as they learn to navigate complex interactions more thoughtfully and effectively.

4. Observe the Impact of Interruptions

Interrupting others is a common impulse during middle school. Practicing self-control means learning to recognize those urges and manage them appropriately. Ask students to observe people being interrupted and take note of:

• What was the person doing when interrupted?
• How did they respond?
• What can we infer about how it made them feel?

Encourage class discussion or journaling on what it means to wait their turn when speaking and why waiting for their turn matters while building respectful relationships. This type of executive function application deepens students’ understanding of cause and effect and improves their academic performance through better listening and participation.

5. Stay Calm During Chaotic Moments

Self-control is most difficult—and most important—during stressful or hectic times. Ask students to identify a time of day they find especially challenging, such as transition times between classes, noisy lunch periods, or the beginning of a difficult subject.

Have students practice a simple breathing strategy each time they experience this moment. Students should log the strategy they used, when they used it, and how it affected their ability to stay calm.

This exercise teaches students to use coping tools to self-soothe and regulate their emotions, ultimately contributing to more effective student behavior and increased student engagement throughout the day.

Empowering Students Through Executive Function Instruction

These five strategies for practicing self-control are just a few examples of how executive function instruction can transform your classroom. When students engage in activities that build self-regulation, they begin solving executive function challenges for themselves—whether that means pausing before blurting out, staying calm under pressure, or thinking through how they speak to others.

Each of these activities is an opportunity to integrate executive functioning tools into your existing classroom routines while also improving students’ academic performance and emotional intelligence. With consistent modeling, reinforcement, and reflection, middle schoolers can develop a toolkit for practicing self-control that serves them in school and beyond.

Additional Ways for Practicing Self-Control

• Click here for additional ways to develop self-control in grades 1–4.
• Click here for additional ways to develop self-control in grades 9–12.
• Sign up for our newsletter for more classroom-ready strategies to support executive function development.
• Explore Cerebrate’s executive function lessons to bring structured executive function intervention into your classroom.