Lesson details
- Objective: Students practice one concrete strategy for waiting (hands busy, count silently, watch the speaker) and name which works for them.
- Time: 15 minutes
- Grade band: K–2
- CASEL competency: Self-management
Materials
- A small object to pass (beanbag or talking piece)
- Optional: putty or a fidget for the "hands busy" strategy
Steps
- Name the problem honestly: waiting is hard, even for adults. Give an example of an adult interrupting.
- Teach three waiting strategies: keep hands busy in your lap, count backward silently from 10, watch the speaker's face.
- Play a short turn-taking game where each student shares a one-word answer (favorite food) while others practice a strategy.
- Stop the game halfway and ask: which strategy are you using? Restart.
- Close: students show one, two, or three fingers for the strategy that worked best.
Debrief questions
- When is waiting hardest — when you know the answer, or when you're bored?
- What does your body do when it wants a turn?
Variations
- For kindergarten, shrink the circle to groups of four so waits stay under a minute.
- Connect to academics: use the same three strategies during math discussions the next day and name them aloud.
What mastery looks like
- Chooses a waiting strategy by name before a turn-taking activity starts
- Gets through a full round without blurting, using their chosen strategy
- Describes what their body does when it wants a turn
What tends to go wrong
Blurting usually spikes right after this lesson because waiting is now salient. Expect it, name it lightly ("that was a hard wait"), and it fades within a week.