Jeff recommends these drum mutes for softer practice. More importantly, it will help to protect your hearing.
The link is for for drum sets with fusion sizes. It includes cymbal mutes as well as mutes for the drums (10", 12", 14" floor tom, 14" snare, and bass drum (adjustable size).
You will also want earplugs and/or decibel-reducing earmuffs for times when you are playing the drums without the mutes (at full volume). Please see below for Jeff's recommendations.
It is essential to protect your hearing! Many people dislike the feel of earplugs at first. These help you to get acclimated to wearing earplugs by offering three different tips for you to try.
For times when you don't feel like having earplugs in your ear, these over-the-ear earmuffs will protect your hearing. They are also great for working with power tools, lawn equipment, etc.
These will work well for both adults and younger students.
This is a new product from Vic Firth. It is similar to the earmuffs listed above, but with headphone speakers and Bluetooth capability. It also includes a cable for plugging it into a phone, tablet or laptop (when Bluetooth is not used). Jeff recommends using a low volume on the headphones to protect the student's hearing. They reduce the outside volume from the drums by 20db.
For those in need of extra hearing protection, these have a 31 decibel reduction rating.