Parents Learning Together

Our Children have many skills that they need help to develop and grow. One of these skills is impulse control. This is an important skill to help them navigate the world around them.

Here are some tips to help develop impulse control adapted from https://hes-extraordinary.com/

Impulse Control Games – There are many children’s games that require impulse control. Playing a game can be a fun and engaging way to practice various skills, and your child many not even know they are doing anything other than playing. Some examples of impulse control games are Freeze Dance, Simon Says, Red Light-Green Light, and Musical Chairs.

Long-Term Reward Charts – Using a long-term reward chart that doesn’t offer immediate reinforcement, can help your child work on delayed gratification. This requires willpower, which is a different aspect of impulse control because your child needs to think ahead to a future reward.

Practice Waiting – Waiting can be one of the hardest things for kids to do, for us adults too! You can try this at home – turn on a timer for 60 seconds and while you make silly faces, have everyone try to keep a straight face and not laugh until the timer goes off. Playing games like ‘I Spy’ or reading a book while waiting for an appointment, can help them develop interests and skills that keep them engaged during times they may have to wait.

Pause and ask, “Is this kind?” – Taking a pause before reacting to a situation can help teach impulse control. Have your children ask themselves before they do something, ‘Is this kind?’. For example, a classmate at school has the toy your child want and their impulse may be to reach out and grab the toy. Have your child practice pausing and asking the question “is this kind?”. If the answer is “no”, teach them other solutions, such as asking to play with the toy or finding another toy to play with.

Clear Expectations and Outcomes – One component of impulse control is foresight or the ability to think about the probable outcome of one’s actions. When expectations and potential outcomes are crystal clear it’s easier for children to develop impulse control.

Impulse Control, like many other skills, take time, patience, and support to grow.