When we raise our kids and educate them, we tend to pay a lot of attention to their academic skills and achievements, for instance, how well can they read and write, or are their mathematic abilities up to par. This is all good and well, but we often forget that more basic human nuances are just as important, if not more so, if we want our children to function in society and apply themselves.
One such social skill is Self-Control, without it, we might get ourselves into some sticky situations, and the same goes for our kids. So, while we are teaching them their ABC’s and 123’s, it’s important to teach them, or preferably, guide them to learn how to practice self-control. This is not such an easy thing to teach however, since kids are kids after all – this does not mean it must be omitted altogether, instead, we teach them the skill on their level.
Recently I stumbled upon one such technique online;
All you need for this awesomely effective activity is a bottle of bubbles and some rowdy kids who despite their fidgeting and impatience, are eager to learn!
Kids of all ages LOVE bubbles, they never seem to tire of the soapy suds! When bubbles are blown, the first thing their twitching fingers want to do is pop them. So, gather your kids, whether they be your own offspring or your class full of students, and start blowing bubbles. The kids will very likely start to o berserk, running to catch, poke and pop the bubbles. Give them a few moments to let them have a go at this and rid some energy.
But then you want to take a step back. You want the bubbles to stop and the kids to look back at you, let them question why you stopped. Explain that you find bubbles totally cool too, but that you want to play a game where instead of popping the bubbles, together you simply just watch them fall to the ground. Ask them if they will play that game and accept that challenge with you.
Then it’s time to blow those bubbles again! This time, no one pops them, at all, even if they land on the tip of your nose! The little fingers will itch and twitch, but because it’s a game, and a challenge, the kids will probably let them fall to the ground, letting them burst on their own. The kids have just practised self-control, without knowing it!
Now you want to praise them in awe “wow, you guys were so awesome, you didn’t even pop one bubble, I knew you could do it” – or something along the line. Then, get a bit more. Ask them if they were aware that they just controlled their body’s actions, that they used their minds to stop themselves from doing something they really wanted to do. Tell them that this is called having self-control!
Follow this with another round of no bubble popping, and again highlight that once again, everyone practiced self-control. Discuss some other areas where self-control can also be practiced. End the lesson off with a fun round of actual bubble popping!
Source link: https://notjustcute.com/2012/09/28/teaching-social-skills-with-bubble-lessons/
This lesson can be repeated often, since with young kids, repetition is key! If we can instil the idea of self-control within children, they will be able to grasp and practice the skill much better. Trust me, kids who know when to settle and wait their turn are much easier to teach than those bouncing off the walls.
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