Friday Fun: Practicing the Brain’s “Pause Button”
There’s a moment every parent has seen. Your child is running full speed across the yard, completely absorbed in the fun of the moment—and then someone calls, “STOP!”
For some kids, their body freezes instantly.
For others, the momentum keeps going for a few extra steps.
That tiny pause between wanting to keep moving and choosing to stop is powered by a core executive functioning skill called response inhibition.
When parents hear the term response inhibition, it can sound like something that requires serious practice—sitting still, following rules, or working through structured exercises.
But children have been strengthening this skill on playgrounds for generations, often without anyone realizing it. Response inhibition is simply the brain’s ability to stop an action once it’s already started, and it develops through repetition in playful, low-stakes moments.
This week, we’re exploring a playground game from another part of the world that gives kids dozens of chances to practice that pause… without it ever feeling like practice.
