What the Brain Is Doing

Stopping a fun activity is not simple for a young child. It takes executive function, a skill that develops slowly through childhood. A few things are happening at once:

• The brain is in a dopamine loop, because play feels rewarding
• Stopping registers as loss, not just change
• The next activity usually looks less appealing than this one

That is why "Why can't they just stop?" is the wrong question. The useful one is "How can I make stopping easier?"