Would you like your students to stop and think before they jump into a task? Would you like them to actually picture what "done" looks like, and to have a real sense of how far away "later" is?
That gap between knowing what to do and seeing how to get there is why students need a tool that makes their thinking visible.
Our signature red thought bubble has long been the visual heart of Mind MIMEing and envisioning one's future self. Now it's a double-sided whiteboard students can hold, draw on, erase, and use again and again!
Mind MIME is grounded in the neuroscience of mental rehearsal. When the brain imagines an action, it activates many of the same planning pathways used to carry it out. A student who has first pictured their future self, ready, doing, and done, is far more likely to follow through. The Future Self Thought Bubble gives that mental picture a place to live. It moves from inside the student's head to a surface that can be seen, talked about, checked, and coached.
Picture it. Draw it. Then go do it.
Two sides, two powerful ways to use it!
Option A: Use the past to inform the future. On one side, students draw a past experience: what happened, what they needed, what worked, and what didn't. On the other side, they draw their future self in a similar situation, using what they learned. Hindsight becomes foresight.
Option B: See time from near to far. Students set the clock and draw their future self close to now, such as in 5 minutes or at the end of the period. Then they flip the board, move the clock farther ahead, and picture their future self later today, tomorrow, or next week. Seeing the "near future" and the "far future" side by side makes time something students can see, which directly targets time blindness.
The clock: build situational awareness
The built-in clock face anchors every picture in time. Students learn to STOP and see the future, thinking through Space, Time, Objects, and People. Where will I be? What time will it be? What will I need? Who will be there? The bubble moves the future from a vague "later" to a clear, concrete picture.
Why It Works
Makes the future self visible. This is the core Mind MIME move: picture the future, draw it, talk about it, then execute it.
Connects past experience to future planning. Students learn to ask "What happened last time?" and "What will I do differently?"
Targets time blindness. Drawing the future self at different points on the clock builds a felt sense of near versus far time.
Builds situational awareness. STOP (Space, Time, Objects, People) gives students a consistent way to scan the future before they act.
Externalizes planning. "Think ahead" becomes an observable, teachable, erasable sequence that adults can coach.
Reusable and double-sided. Draw, erase, flip, and repeat across any task, transition, or routine.
Built to last. The thick, rigid dry-erase board stands up to daily use, so it's ready for every student, every session.
Size: 16 inches diagonally, measured from the tail of the thought bubble to the clock. It's large enough for detailed drawings and easy to see in a group setting.
Dry-erase markers not included.
Ready to help your students see their future selves? Bring the whiteboard thought bubble home or into your classroom or clinic!
