Impulse Control
Working on Impulse Control is a lifelong lesson. At this stage in life, a lack of impulse control may look like:
- Saying every negative thought that pops in our head
- Physically acting out when angry
- Taking a toy instead of asking for it
- Interrupting conversations
- Asking a question and then interrupting the answer
- Pushing their way into an activity or game without asking
- Starting an activity without hearing the instructions.
Many of these examples are developmentally appropriate, but there are still many ways we can work on addressing these behaviors both at school and at home.
What You Can Do at Home
Utilizing games and art is a great way to continue impulse control strategies at home.
- Telling or reading a story and intentionally pausing for interruptions. Reading a story is often a perfect opportunity for kids to call out because it's hard to control the impulse. So, creating our own opportunities for them to be involved allows the chance to interact, but in a controlled and appropriate way. Pause and ask, "What do you think _____ is thinking right now?" "What do you think is going to happen next?"
- Breathing Buddies - have your child pick their favorite stuffed animal and lay down, placing the animal on their bellies. Then, you have them breathe in while you count to three. Have them observe the stuffie raise in the air as they breathe in. Then count to three again, having them exhale and watch the stuffie go down. This helps your child practice both their breathing and mindfulness in an age appropriate way.
- Emotion Charades - Emotion regulation and impulse control go hand in hand. Playing emotion charades as a family helps children better understand what they are feeling AND identify those same cues and feelings in others. To play, write down either the name of the emotion or draw the face of an emotion and place them in a cup, then take turns pulling a paper and act out both the body language and facial expression of the emotion.
- Positive Self Talk - Use and teach positive self talk. Kids who struggle with impulse control usually hear a lot of negative responses and often it is unintentional from the adults and other friends in their lives. Teaching them postiive self talk is curcial to help them build up and learn they are capable of learning how to curb these impulses.
Finally and maybe most importantly!
- Look for small wins! Our kids are small and are often doing the best they can. Usually when we are looking at curbing impulsive behavior, we ourselves are frustrated and at the end of our rope. We're looking for big changes, FAST. Reminding ourselves that our little ones remembering to hang their backup up instead of dropping it on the floor when they come home, is a success and them showing impulse control. Spend time looking for and then praising "small" successes and they will build up over time!
