Impulse control

An impulse is an immediate action in response to a situation. This lesson explores the concept of ‘impulse control’ using the stop-think-respond strategy. This encourages students to think about the situation and control their response. Developing impulse control helps students to understand how and when to apply judgement when reacting to situations.

Year Level

7-10

Duration

60 minutes

Type

  • In class activity

SEL Competencies

  • Self-awareness
  • Social awareness
  • Relationship skills

Learning Intention

Students can recognise that being resilient doesn’t mean that we don’t feel impulsive; rather, it means that we learn to control our impulses.

Key Outcomes

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  • identify many kinds of impulses
  • use a strategy for managing their impulses.
ACTIVITY 01

Activity: What are impulses? 10 min

  1. In small groups, students brainstorm on Post-it Notes words they associate with impulse.
  2. Students work together to group their responses into categories, for example causes, feelings and behaviours.