Therapy Courses ·
Impulse-control games for kids give children a manageable opportunity to notice an urge, pause and try a response. Useful games include stop-and-go activities, turn-taking, scenario choices and cooperative replays. The aim is supported practice—not proving that a child can sit still or obey every instruction.
This guide gives therapists ten activities with materials, exact prompts, examples and adaptations. Start with school-aged children who can understand the chosen rule, and adjust language and demands to the individual. The games are educational skills practice, not a treatment programme or a test for ADHD.
Choose a game for the skill you want to practise
Ask the child: “When is it hard to wait or change your first idea?” Choose one ordinary situation together. Separate an impulse from a need: moving, asking for help or leaving an overwhelming activity may be appropriate. Consider unclear instructions, sensory discomfort, fatigue and task difficulty before interpreting behaviour as poor self-control.
| Practice goal | Start with |
|---|---|
| Stopping after a clear cue | Traffic-Light Builder |
| Finding another response | Two-Move Detective |
| Waiting while staying involved | Turn Token Build |
| Recovering after a quick reaction | Repair-and-Replay Theatre |
| Asking rather than grabbing | Ask-for-the-Piece Mission |
Explain one rule, demonstrate it and offer a practice round. Agree on a stop or break signal. Keep rounds short enough for success; there is no need to increase speed or frustration. Praise noticing, asking, adjusting and trying again rather than only a correct response.
10 impulse-control games for therapy sessions
1. Traffic-Light Builder
Materials: blocks and red/green cards. Practice: stopping a movement after a visible cue.
Run it: Say, “Green means we can add blocks. Red means we park the block on the table.” Demonstrate with slow, predictable changes, then build a shared tower. If a block is already in motion when red appears, let the child finish placing it safely and reset. Swap roles so the child directs the therapist.
Example: The therapist notices their own hand moving on red and says, “I started quickly. I can put it down and join the next round.” Debrief: “What helped you notice red?” Adapt: use a spoken cue, pointing or a longer warning; avoid sudden loud signals. Connect the practice to pausing a hand before reaching for someone else’s materials.
2. Two-Move Detective
Materials: paper with an everyday scenario. Practice: generating alternatives to a first impulse.
Run it: Read, “Someone is using the marker you want.” Draw two empty footprints. Say, “Your first idea can go here. What is another move?” Write or draw both, then act out one for ten seconds. Discuss what each person might do next; do not turn the exercise into guessing the adult’s preferred answer.
Example: “Grab it” and “ask when they will finish.” Rehearse: “Can I use it after you?” Debrief: “Which move helped with what you needed?” Adapt: offer two pictured options if generating responses is difficult. The child can add a third option or reject both.
3. Turn Token Build
Materials: a token and construction pieces. Practice: waiting with a clear next turn.
Run it: Agree that the token holder adds one piece, then passes the token. Give the waiting player a useful role, such as selecting their next piece or checking the base. Say, “While I place this, you can get your piece ready.” Build cooperatively without eliminating anyone for reaching early.
Example: A child reaches towards the tower. Point to the token and say, “Your turn is next. Shall we put your piece here while it waits?” Debrief: “Was choosing a piece helpful or distracting?” Adapt: shorten turns, use a visible order or practise with one adult before a group. Waiting should have a predictable end.
4. Echo Before Action
Materials: three objects. Practice: checking an instruction before acting.
Run it: Say, “Before moving anything, tell me or show me the plan.” Give one instruction: “Put the pencil beside the cup.” The child repeats, points or demonstrates the intended action, then completes it. Swap roles and deliberately ask for clarification when an instruction is ambiguous.
Example: “Did you mean inside or beside?” becomes a successful response. Debrief: “When did checking save extra work?” Adapt: keep the instruction visible and allow pointing instead of speech. This is practice in checking, not a memory or language test.
5. Pause-Pose Path
Materials: three paper stepping spots, or three tabletop markers. Practice: linking a pause to a physical cue.
Run it: Label the spots Notice, Pause and Choose. Read a fictional situation and move a figure through the spots. At Notice, name an urge; at Pause, choose a comfortable action such as resting hands on the table; at Choose, say the next move. Then try the sequence without the markers.
Example: “I want to shout an answer. I put my hand on my desk. I raise it or use our agreed signal.” Debrief: “Which pause would you remember?” Adapt: no standing or stillness required. A pause can include movement, and the response should fit the child’s communication needs.
6. Now-and-Later Comic
Materials: a four-panel page. Practice: considering more than the immediate result.
Run it: Draw a character wanting to leave a shared game. In two panels, show what might happen immediately and later if they knock the board over. In the other two, show an alternative such as saying, “I need a break; can we save my place?” Invite different plausible outcomes rather than a guaranteed happy ending.
Example: Leaving abruptly might end frustration quickly but make restarting harder. Asking may still receive an unwelcome answer. Debrief: “What did each option solve, and what new problem might it add?” Adapt: use figures or spoken storytelling instead of drawing. Avoid scare stories or threats disguised as consequences.
7. Rule-Switch Sorting
Materials: cards with shapes in different colours. Practice: stopping an old rule and using a new one.
Run it: First sort by colour with the rule visible. Announce a switch, pause together and replace the rule card with “sort by shape.” Model one card before restarting. Let the child announce the next switch. There is no race.
Example: A red triangle goes with other triangles in round two. If the old rule returns, ask, “Which rule is on the table now?” Debrief: “What helped your brain change the plan?” Adapt: use fewer cards, only one switch or a demonstration beside each pile. The child may need a different challenge rather than more reminders.
8. Ask-for-the-Piece Mission
Materials: a simple drawing or model with shared supplies. Practice: asking for access or support.
Run it: Tell the child in advance that some pieces will be shared. Practise an agreed phrase or communication card before building: “Can I have the blue piece?” or “Help, please.” When a shared piece is needed, pause and offer the cue. Respond promptly to the request.
Example: The child points to a request card instead of reaching across another player. Debrief: “Was it clear how to ask?” Adapt: accept AAC, gesture or placing an item in a request area. Never withhold essential items, comfort or a break to manufacture an impulse-control test.
9. Repair-and-Replay Theatre
Materials: two figures. Practice: recovering after an unhelpful action.
Run it: One figure interrupts and knocks over the other’s drawing supplies. Say, “The quick move has already happened. What could the character do now?” Act out a repair, then replay the earlier moment with another response. The second figure can explain what help they want.
Example: “I knocked those over. Can I help collect them?” In the replay, the character asks to join. Debrief: “Which part could they change after the mistake?” Adapt: the therapist models first; an apology need not be spoken or forced. Repair does not guarantee instant forgiveness.
10. Make-the-Cue Game
Materials: sticky notes and a chosen routine. Practice: designing an external reminder.
Run it: Pick a low-stakes situation such as checking a bag before leaving. The child designs one cue, chooses its location and rehearses noticing it while walking through the routine. The therapist then follows the child’s instructions and reports whether the cue was clear.
Example: A drawing of a water bottle beside the bag reminds the character to look before rushing out. Debrief: “Was the reminder where you needed it?” Adapt: use an object, sound or picture. If it is missed, redesign it rather than assuming the child ignored it.
Build a short therapy session around one game
- Agree on one everyday goal and a comfortable break signal.
- Model the game and complete a supported practice round.
- Play a few short rounds, changing only one demand at a time.
- Ask what helped and rehearse the corresponding everyday situation.
- Agree on one cue or adult support to try outside the session.
A child who manages a game may still need substantial help in a noisy classroom or during conflict. Do not assume skill transfer from a good round. In groups, use cooperative goals and predictable turns; let children observe or pass without public scoring.
For a prepared scenario-based format, Pause Pick Play includes situation, response, pause and outcome cards, a cooperative board and replay supports. It offers a convenient way to repeat this kind of practice; the ten activities above can be run with simple materials.
Carry the practice into everyday life
Choose a specific moment: “When someone has the marker I want, I will use my request card.” Agree what the adult will do—notice the request, respond clearly and support a manageable wait. Review what happened without treating a missed cue as failure.
Track a useful observation such as noticing the urge, accepting a prompt or trying a repair. Do not use a count of mistakes to shame the child. For more age-appropriate activities, see CBT activities for children. For adolescents, use the separate ADHD activities for teens guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are these games suitable for children with ADHD?
They can be adapted for a child’s goals and support needs, including ADHD-related difficulties. They are not diagnostic tools or substitutes for individual assessment and care.
What if the child becomes upset or keeps missing the cue?
Pause, check understanding and reduce the demand. Offer a demonstration, a clearer cue or a different game. Persisting with an overwhelming task is not the goal.
Do children have to sit still to practise impulse control?
No. Movement, communication supports and breaks can be part of the activity. Choose a meaningful action to practise rather than measuring stillness.
Evidence and scope
Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child describes age-appropriate play as an opportunity to practise executive-function and self-regulation skills in its activities guide. This supports the broad practice approach; it does not validate these ten original activities as a treatment programme or establish improvements outside the game.