Games where players have to think before they act are excellent tools for helping kids learn to control their impulses. Here is an example of a card game that requires quick thinking and fast reflexes, two key aspects of self-control.
Children with more control over their impulses tend to do better in school. Similar to the way that weight training makes your muscles stronger, exercises that hone your concentration increase your brain’s capacity to absorb new concepts.
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10 min. for printing and cutting and 5 min. for each round.
- Cut out the 60 cards and shuffle them well.
- Cut out the two “Same shape” and “Same number” rectangles and place them in the middle of the table.
This game is played in pairs. After shuffling the 60 cards, randomly split the deck into two piles of 30 cards, stacked face down.
Each player flips over the card at the top of their pile at the same time. There are then three possibilities:
- Both cards feature the same shape (e.g., two rainbows). The first player to place their hand on the “Same shape” rectangle gets to keep the cards and place them under their pile.
- Both cards feature the same number of shapes (e.g., one card has 6 hearts and the other has 6 planets). The first player to place their hand on the “Same number” rectangle gets to keep the cards and place them under their pile.
- The two cards have nothing in common. BE CAREFUL! When this happens, the players must not touch anything. If a player accidentally puts their hand on either rectangle, they have to give their card to the other player, who will get to place it under their pile.
The player with the most cards after 5 minutes wins!
