Games that build self-control

Play · 5 min read · Evidence: Mixed, leaning positive

Simple stop-and-go games can help young children practise self-control. The research is encouraging but still small, and the games work best as a regular routine, not a one-off activity.

Every teacher knows the moment: the class is excited, someone shouts out, three children stand up at once. Asking children to "calm down" rarely works, because self-control is not something they can switch on when told. It is a skill, and like other skills it improves with practice.

Games give children a safe place to practise. In a game like Red Light, Green Light, a child has to hold a rule in mind, watch for a signal and stop a movement that is already underway. When the rules change (red now means go), they have to override what they just learned. Psychologists group these abilities under the heading of self-regulation or executive function.

What the research says

The best-known study comes from Oregon, where researchers tested a set of circle-time movement games called Red Light, Purple Light with preschool children. Teachers ran short game sessions twice a week for eight weeks, making the rules harder as children improved (Tominey & McClelland, 2011). The US What Works Clearinghouse later reviewed two studies of the programme, covering 433 children aged about 3 to 5, and rated its effect on self-regulation as "potentially positive", with moderate evidence. Effects on maths, reading and language were uncertain (WWC, 2022).

A wider review looked at how adults can use play for learning. Across 17 studies included in a meta-analysis, "guided play", where an adult sets up the game and joins in, did better than direct instruction on task switching, early maths and shape knowledge. On several other outcomes there was no clear difference (Skene et al., 2022).

So the honest summary is: these games are promising, cheap and enjoyable, and there is reasonable evidence they help self-regulation in preschoolers. They are not a cure for every behaviour problem, and we know less about older children.

What makes a self-control game work

• A clear rule and a clear signal. Children need to know exactly what "stop" looks or sounds like.

• Rules that change. The learning happens when a child has to override a habit.

• Gradual difficulty. Start easy so that everyone succeeds, then add a twist.

• Repetition. In the studies, games were played twice a week for weeks, not once.

• Mistakes are funny, not failures. A child who is laughed with keeps playing; a child who is laughed at stops trying.

Try this tomorrow. Play Opposite Day for five minutes before a transition. Start with three actions (jump, sit, freeze), play two normal rounds, then announce Opposite Day. End on a round most children get right.

Related resource: our free Play Starter Guide includes Opposite Day and Slow Motion Race, plus eight more games. A full classroom pack with lesson plans is coming soon to EduStore.

Sources / Further reading

• 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). Link

• What Works Clearinghouse (2022). Red Light, Purple Light intervention report. Link

• Skene, K., et al. (2022). Can guidance during play enhance children's learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Development, 93(4), 1162-1180. Link