One of my favorite teaching strategies is using picture books to teach SEL skills. Picture books are powerful tools that make social emotional learning topics fun and meaningful. They are also very accessible. Even if you don’t have a robust collection of high quality children’s literature in your classroom library, you likely have access to books through your school library, public library, or on the internet. The best part is that students love listening to and discussing stories about relatable characters and storylines. They learn so much from them! In this post, I share my favorite books for teaching impulse control.
Most of the books about impulse control on this list are part of my Starts With a Story collection. No, David!, Clark the Shark, Interrupting Chicken and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse are part of our impulse control SEL Unit, which includes interactive read aloud lesson plans among tons of other resources for teaching impulse control. Check out the list of books about impulse control below!
6 Books about Impulse Control
Below are 6 quality impulse control children’s books for elementary teachers. Your kids will love these read alouds! They are great for teaching impulse control, as well as many other concepts and skills.
1. No, David! By David Shannon
This story is about a young boy who seems to find a hard time following the rules! David has a hard time not touching, grabbing, or running. This book is a great resource to discuss impulse control as students can identify expected and unexpected behaviors on every page. With this, my Impulse Control SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
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2. Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale
The second on this list of books about impulse control is Clark the Shark. Clark is a shark and gets really excited when he is at school! He talks really loudly, plays really hard, gets overly excited, and has a hard time making good choices. His classmates start to be annoyed with him. Clark’s teacher Mrs. Inkydink teaches him that being excited is okay but we have to remember to stay cool at school. Clark learns the importance of regulation and pausing before acting to support his focus, as well as the others’ in his class. My Impulse Control SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
3. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
It is time for Little Red Chicken to go to bed, but he really wants Papa to read him a bedtime story. At first, Papa is hesitant to read a story because he thinks Little Red Chicken will interrupt. Little Red Chicken promises to be good and Papa begins to tell a story. Before Papa can finish, Little Red Chicken interrupts the story! This book will have children laughing at Little Red Chicken and is a great way to demonstrate the effect of interruptions. Students will reflect on how interruptions affect themselves and those around them. My Impulse Control SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
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4. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Lilly, a young mouse, adores her teacher Mr. Slinger, and wants to be a teacher just like him when she grows up. One day, Lilly gets new sunglasses and a purple purse with coins in it. She brings them to school and is so excited to share them with her class. However, Mr. Slinger tells her she must wait to share them. Lilly has a very hard time waiting and continues to interrupt the class. Lilly learns an important lesson about interrupting and regulation. Students will make connections to the challenges of waiting to share, patience, and managing impulse control! My Impulse Control SEL bundle includes an SEL lesson based on this picture book!
5. Goldilocks and The Three Bears by James Marshall
The fifth on this list of books about impulse control is Goldilocks and The Three Bears. In a small village lived a young girl named Goldilocks, and one day she was sent to buy muffins in the next village over. Well, Goldilocks ventured into a house, unknowingly the house of the three bears. She tried their porridges, sat in their rocking chairs, and even laid in their beds! This classic fairytale provides students with opportunities to identify impulse control, along with expected and unexpected behaviors. Check out these Goldilocks and The Three Bears activities!
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6. Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey
Pig the Pug is at it again! He cannot travel anywhere, as disasters follow everywhere he goes! From carivals to historic places, Pig creates devastation. He is disrespectful and rude to the locals. He does not follow rules and expectations. This story shows the consequences when Pig lacks impulse control and how he changes his behavior after learning his lesson. Check out these Pig the Tourist activities!
Integrated SEL and Literacy Activities
Below are some integrated SEL and literacy resources for elementary teachers.
SEL Unit
Our Impulse Control Unit, which is available individually or as part of a year-long SEL bundle, includes lessons for the first four books on this list. This unit is packed with lesson plans, teaching resources, games, and activities. Click an image below to either get this individual impulse control unit or get ALL 30 SEL units!
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SEL Book Companions
As I mentioned earlier, I love teaching SEL skills using picture books. That’s why I created the Starts With a Story Collection. High quality children’s literature supports elementary teachers in delivering meaningful and accessible SEL lessons. Many of the read alouds on this list are part of this book companion collection. Check out the book companions below!
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In closing, we hope you found this list of impulse control read alouds helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:
