


If you’re not familiar with it, Blurt is a set of cards with definitions for vocabulary words. This is by far one of my favorite ways to practice self-control. I truly love the idea of comparing self-control to driving because I always it is teaching kids that they are in the driver’s seat!īlurt. Students will move along the racetrack game board answering critical questions about self-control. I developed this self-control board game as a fun but direct way to target self-control skills. This is a game you can practice again and again. Take your time, stop and think, breathe, and carefully move forward. If you aren’t careful, things can fall apart. Not only is this a really fun and interactive way to practice self-control, but the entire game becomes a metaphor for self-control in life. The more cautious and careful you are, the more likely you are to win. As students play, remind them to have self-control every time they remove a block from the tower. I love this game because it’s the perfect blend of structure and chaos (perfect for your kids who really need self-control practice!). Since games are a great tool to teach skills, you might also want to read up on games to teach social emotional skills and games to strengthen executive functioning skills, too! Let students know they are playing the game in order to practice and strengthen their skills for self-control. What should you do? How could you use self-control? What could happen if you don’t use self-control? These questions are an important foundation to help students understand self-control and why it matters. You really WANT to just eat a piece or taste the frosting with your finger. You see a delicious chocolate cake just sitting there on the counter. One example is: Imagine you are going over to your friend’s house. I love to give examples about situations involving self-control that all kids can relate to. First, explain what self-control is and why it’s so important. Whenever you play any of these games, it’s important to be purposeful about the skills you are teaching. Kids and young adults are far more likely to learn and practice the skills if it’s something interesting to them. Games are a great technique for practicing self-control skills because they are instantly fun and interactive. Simply put, that means kids and young adults are going to need lots of practice with using skills for self-control. Self-control is particularly difficult executive functioning skill for kids and young adults, and there is actually a scientific reason for that! The limbic system in our brains, which is responsible for managing emotions, develops ahead of the prefrontal cortex, which is the area responsible for planning, suppressing urges, and using self-control. This involves taking a pause when our emotions want to take over so we can think through the situation, consider solutions, assess the consequences, and move forward with the best choice in that scenario. Self-control is our ability to stop and think before making decisions.
