Learning how to control what you say and when you say it is an important social skill. When we teach children to stop interrupting, they become better at listening, controlling their impulses, and considering the thoughts of other people. This helps to create a culture of respect and caring both at school and at home.
Whether you are a school counselor, an elementary teacher, or a parent looking for books to springboard a conversation on interrupting, listening, or waiting for your turn to talk, you’ll want to check out these entertaining picture books.
Interrupting Chicken
A little chicken’s habit of interrupting bedtime stories gently illustrates how interrupting others can be annoying. The concept of this story is clever. The wording and facial expressions of the chickens are hilarious! When I read this book in the classroom, I like to follow it up with the Interrupting Chicken Dance – a fun way to address this important skill.
Lacey Walker, Nonstop Talker
This little gem is great for teaching the lagging listening skills that often accompany interrupters. Lacey Walker talks way too much, until one day, she loses her voice. Forced into silence, she begins to realize all that she has missed out on while she was talking too much and listening too little. Little chatterboxes can relate to Lacey.
My Mouth is a Volcano
Louis’s mouth is a volcano! When other people are talking, words pop into his head and erupt out of his mouth. But when others begin to interrupt Louis, he learns how to respectfully wait for his turn to talk. Julia Cook has a gentle way of teaching children expected behaviors related to polite conversation, including not interrupting and when to stop talking.
Please is a Good Word to Say
A delightful curly-burly-haired Harriet gives examples of polite words and expressions to use in a variety of social situations. Asking, taking, interrupting, eating, answering the phone—if there’s a nice way to do it, Harriet can tell you just how to do it. Her explanations make me smile.
What if Everybody Did That?
When kids are impulsive, they don’t stop to think about how their words and actions affect others. This book is filled with examples of what could happen if everybody acted on impulse instead of thinking things through. Interrupting is one of fourteen examples the author uses to teach cause and effect of behaviors, while cleverly explaining the need for rules.What I like most about this book is the emphasis on community and working together to keep our school, neighborhoods, and homes safe and happy places. What if everybody obeyed the rules to help make the world a better place?
What Were You Thinking?
As a school counselor, I spend a lot of time wondering, “What were you thinking?” when interacting with students who struggle with impulse control, so this title immediately captured my attention. Among the things I really like about this book, is the kid-friendly language used by Mrs. Vickerman, third grade teacher, to explain what it means to control your impulses – “…sometimes our bodies are telling us to do things, and we have to decide whether or not to do them.” When her student Braden interrupts her with his ill-timed jokes, she encourages him to stay out of trouble by following these steps: 1. Stop what you are doing; 2. Think about what you are going to say or do; 3. Decide if it will make the situation better or worse (Note: I usually add for yourself AND for others here); 4. Choose the behavior that makes the situation better.
This is the first book in Bryan Smith’s Executive FUNction Series – these stories that teach children how to plan, organize, manage time and maintain self-control should be on every school counselor’s bookshelf.
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