Impulse Control Quest: Teacher Script

Warm-Up: How Do You Feel Today? (5 minutes)

(Display Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 1-2)

"Good morning, wonderful learners! Welcome to our Impulse Control Quest. Today, we're going to become feelings experts and learn how to be the boss of our brains!

First, let's do a quick check-in. Look at your neighbor, or just think to yourself: How are you feeling right now? Can you think of one feeling word? Maybe you feel happy, or a little sleepy, or excited! Take a moment to think about your feeling. (Pause for students to reflect and share if they wish, either verbally or with a thumbs up/down for general positive/negative)

Great! We all have lots of different feelings inside us, and sometimes those feelings can be really big, right? And guess what? Our feelings can change all the time! One minute you might be happy, and the next you might be a little frustrated. That's totally normal!"

Introduction to Impulse Control (5 minutes)

(Display Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 3-4)

"Now, who here knows what a 'STOP' sign means? (Wait for responses) That's right, it means to pause! Well, today we're going to learn about having a 'STOP' sign in our brains. It's called Impulse Control! Can you say that with me? Impulse Control!

Impulse control means thinking before you act. It means when you really, really want to do something, or say something, or grab something, you take a tiny pause first. You stop, you think, and then you act. Why do you think it might be important to have a brain STOP sign? (Encourage answers like 'to be kind,' 'not to hurt someone,' 'to share') Yes! It helps us be kind to our friends, stay safe, and learn better in school. It makes us feel proud of our choices!"

Activity: Emotion Detective Worksheet (10 minutes)

(Display Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 5-6)

"Alright, my little detectives! To be good at impulse control, we first need to be good at noticing feelings – our own feelings and the feelings of others. We're going to be Emotion Detectives!

I have a special Emotion Detective Worksheet for everyone. (Distribute worksheets and crayons/markers) On this worksheet, you'll see some different faces. Your job is to look closely at each face and try to guess what feeling that person is having. Are they happy? Sad? Angry? Scared? Draw a line to the word that matches the face, or if you like, you can color the faces to show the feeling! (Walk around and assist students. Offer prompts like, 'What do their eyebrows look like when they're angry?' or 'What about their mouth when they're happy?')

Remember, noticing feelings is like finding clues! When we know how someone feels, we can make a better choice about how we act. And when we know how we feel, we can choose how to respond to that feeling."

Strategy Introduction: Stop, Think, Act (5 minutes)

(Display Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 7-8)

"You all did an amazing job being Emotion Detectives! Now, let's learn our super strategy for when those big feelings or sudden urges come up. It's called STOP, THINK, ACT!

• First, when you feel a big urge or a big feeling, you STOP! Freeze like a statue for just a moment. (Demonstrate freezing)
• Next, you THINK! You ask yourself, 'What are my choices? What might happen if I do this? What's the best choice?' (Demonstrate a thinking pose)
• And finally, you ACT! You choose the best action, the one that is safe, kind, and smart. (Demonstrate a purposeful action, like gently reaching for a toy).

Let's try a quick practice! Imagine your friend has a cool toy you really want to play with. Your brain might say, 'Grab it!' But wait! What do we do first? (Wait for 'STOP!') Yes, STOP! Then, what do we do? (Wait for 'THINK!') THINK: 'Should I grab it? No, that might make my friend sad. Maybe I can ask, 'Can I have a turn please?' And then, ACT! You choose to ask for a turn gently. Great job!"

Cool-Down: Deep Breaths (5 minutes)

(Display Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 9)

"That was a lot of thinking and learning, superstar! Sometimes when we have big feelings, our bodies feel big too. Our last strategy for today is to calm our bodies down with deep breaths. This is super easy and something you can do anytime, anywhere.

Let's pretend we have a beautiful flower in one hand (cup hands) and a candle in the other (extend pointer finger). We're going to smell the flower (take a big, slow breath in through your nose) and then blow out the candle (slowly blow the air out through your mouth). Let's do it three times together. Smell the flower... blow out the candle. (Repeat 2 more times)

Excellent! Remember, when you feel like you need your brain STOP sign, you can always take a few deep breaths to help you STOP and THINK. You are all becoming amazing bosses of your brains! See you next time for more impulse control fun!"

Emotion Detective Worksheet

Name: _________________________

Instructions: Look at each face. What feeling do you see? Draw a line from the face to the feeling word! You can color the faces too!

1. What feeling is this?

• Happy
• Sad
• Angry

2. What feeling is this?

• Happy
• Sad
• Angry

3. What feeling is this?

• Happy
• Sad
• Angry

4. What feeling is this?

• Scared
• Surprised
• Silly

5. Draw a picture of you feeling happy!

Stop, Think, Act Worksheet

Name: _________________________

Instructions: Read the story. Then, draw or write what you would do for STOP, THINK, and ACT!

Story 1: Sharing Time!

Your friend has the exact toy you want to play with. You really, really want it right now!

STOP! 🛑

What do you do first? (Draw yourself freezing or pausing)

THINK! 🤔

What are your choices? What will happen if you grab it? What's a better way? (Draw yourself thinking or talking to yourself)

ACT! ✅

What is the best choice? (Draw yourself doing the kind and smart thing, like asking for a turn)

Story 2: Loud Noises!

Someone accidentally made a very loud noise that surprised you! You feel like yelling back.

STOP! 🛑

What do you do first?

THINK! 🤔

What are your choices? What will happen if you yell? What's a better way to show how you feel?

ACT! ✅

What is the best choice?

Create Your Calm Down Corner!

Objective: To provide a safe and quiet space for students to practice self-regulation when they feel big emotions.

What is a Calm Down Corner?

A calm down corner is a special, cozy spot in our classroom where you can go when you need a moment to yourself. It's not a timeout, but a place to help you feel better and get ready to learn again. It helps you STOP and THINK about your feelings!

How to Create It:

1. Find a Cozy Spot: Choose a quiet corner of the classroom. You can put a small rug, a beanbag chair, or some soft pillows there.
2. Make it Inviting: Add some comforting things like a soft blanket, a few picture books about feelings, or a stuffed animal.
3. Add Calm Down Tools: These are things that help us calm our bodies and minds. Here are some ideas:
   • Feeling Faces Poster: A poster with different emotion faces (like our Emotion Detective Worksheet) to help students identify how they feel.
   • Calm Down Jar/Glitter Jar: A jar filled with water, glitter, and glue. Shaking it and watching the glitter settle can be very calming.
   • Deep Breathing Visuals: Pictures or cards showing how to take slow, deep breaths (like on Impulse Control Quest Slide Deck - Slide 9).
   • Stress Balls or Fidget Toys: Small toys that can be squeezed or played with quietly to help release energy or focus.
   • Quiet Books/Coloring Pages: Simple activities that require focus and can be calming.

How to Use It:

When you feel your body getting too big, too mad, or too sad, you can ask your teacher if you can visit the Calm Down Corner. When you are there, you can choose one of the tools to help yourself STOP, THINK, and calm down. When you feel ready, you can come back and join the group.

Freeze Dance Feelings

Objective: To practice stopping impulses, listening to instructions, and identifying emotions in a fun, active way.

Materials:

• Music player and music
• Emotion cards or pictures (can use images from Emotion Detective Worksheet or simply call out feelings)

How to Play:

1. Start the Music! The teacher will play some fun music, and students will dance freely around the room.
2. Teacher Calls Out "Freeze!" and an Emotion: When the music stops and the teacher says "Freeze!", all students must freeze in place like statues. The teacher will then call out an emotion (e.g., "Freeze! Show me a happy face!").
3. Show the Emotion: Students will then make a face or body pose that shows the emotion the teacher called out (e.g., a big smile for happy, slumped shoulders for sad).
4. Discuss (Optional): Briefly ask a few students, "What does your happy face look like?" or "What makes that body show angry?" This reinforces emotion identification.
5. Restart the Music: Once students have shown the emotion, the music starts again, and they continue dancing.

Variations/Tips:

• Add a "Think" Step: Before showing the emotion, have students put a finger to their temple to show they are "thinking" about the emotion.
• Movement Challenge: Instead of just dancing, ask students to move like a certain animal or object (e.g., "Move like a wobbly jelly!") and then freeze.
• Speed Control: Start with longer periods of dancing and freezing, then gradually shorten them to challenge impulse control.
• Teacher Modeling: Model exaggerated emotions and freezing to encourage participation.

This game helps students practice the STOP part of our STOP, THINK, ACT strategy in a playful environment!