Dopamine Seekers
A kid who struggles with impulse control is often a kid who is on the hunt for a dopamine rush. They want fun and they want exciting, and if you can make learning both of these things, they are with you and they are focused.
So how do we do this?
One of my favorite ways to do this is to teach impulse control with games. There are so many free, no-prep and no-material games that accomplish this. I talk about this exact topic in my post on making teaching Executive Functioning skills fun.
Red Light, Green Light
This is a classic schoolyard game.
Have children arrange themselves in a horizontal line (some kind of marked area would be helpful, but not necessary. In a pinch, a series of sticks will work!)
Designate one student to be the traffic light. That student should stand about 20 feet away–maybe more or less depending on the age and athleticism of your students. The “traffic light” will call out “green light” and the other students should run as quickly as they can towards the other side. Then, the traffic light should yell, “red light!” Everyone must immediately stop. If the “traffic light” catches anyone moving, they will tell that person to return to the start line. The first person to get past the traffic light wins.
In this game, students are excited, they are moving, and they are engaging in friendly competition. At the same time, they are practicing using impulse control to stop themselves when told to do so. Prior to, or after, playing this game, you can review with the students “red lights” in their life that should signal for them to stop and think.
Freeze Dance
This is another classic. Put on some fun music and have kids dance around like crazy and then listen for the music to stop. Once it does, kids have to remain in their position until the music starts again.
Like Red Light Green Light, this is a great one because it gets kids moving and burning off energy while practicing their impulse control skills.
Simon Says
Simon Says is a game that requires a lot of attention and impulse control. Each time Simon gives a command, the instinct is to perform the action immediately. However, kids need to practice impulse control by stopping and thinking about whether the key words “Simon says…” appeared before the instruction.
Jenga
This game does require that you have access to actual materials, but whether you are a teacher, a practitioner, or a parent, it is very likely that you can find it somewhere!
Jenga–again, exciting, competitive–is another great opportunity for kids to slow down and think before acting.
After playing this game, you can have students reflect upon their experience and make connections to using impulse control. Ask them: “What did you do before you picked a new block? What would have happened if you just picked randomly? Outside of the game, when might it be important to use impulse control like this?”
A bonus: write prompts on each block that ask questions having to do with impulse control.
Memory
This game seems really simple, but there’s actually a lot going on in our brains when we attempt to play it.
Although admittedly not as exciting and fast-paced as some of the other games, it requires kids to slow down and pay attention (even when it is not their turn.)
It might be helpful to teach kids some strategies prior to playing the game. These strategies could be incorporated into everyday life, and might include verbalizing planned actions or observations (whispering to one’s self: “Okay, I need to remember the banana is one, two, three to the left.”)
Operation
This is a fantastic game for teaching physical restraint. Often, when kids are very excited, they have a hard time controlling their bodies. They might be too rough, or too fast, and might hurt themselves or others as a result.
Teaching kids to slow down and take a deep breath to calm their bodies can extend to their daily lives. As a bonus, this game is self-correcting. (That buzzing sound when you accidentally botch the operation can be very startling!)
Impulse Control Role Play
One of the most effective ways I have found to teach impulse control is to do so explicitly, with role play. I often like to have students think of themselves as helpful friends who are giving advice to a peer. If you take this approach as well, you might present your student with a situation and then ask them what might happen if their friend acted impulsively.
If this sounds like it might work for your student, but might be a lot of work for you, don’t worry! I’ve already created it. This board game asks students to apply a stop and think protocol to various situations. The game has students consider what might happen if they follow their first impulse.
Most Importantly
The most important thing to consider when teaching kids about impulse control is how to engage them: it should be fun, and it should be exciting, but it should also provide them with a real framework they can use in the real world!