Everybody knows that little kids lack the self-control of older people. In part, it’s a developmental thing. Between the ages of 3-7 years, most kids experience big changes in their ability to regulate themselves—to pay attention, to follow directions, and resist their impulses.
But some people wonder if we can help kids develop these skills. And what about the kids who are especially impulsive? Can we teach them how to regulate or control their urges?
I think so.
In a recent study of American kids, Shauna Tominey and Megan McClelland tested the self-regulation abilities of 65 preschoolers and then randomly assigned about half of them to play a special set of games.
The games were designed to give a child’s self-regulation skills a work-out. Most followed the same pattern:
1. Teach kids to follow a rule, like “dance fast when you hear fast music, and slow when you hear slow music.”
2. After the kids have mastered the rule, change to its opposite (e.g., slow music becomes the cue for dancing fast, and fast music becomes signal for slowing down).
To play this sort of game, kids have to restrain the urge to follow the old rule. Do such “rule-switching” games work? Do they teach self-regulation?
The kids in this study played self-regulation games twice a week for 8 weeks. Each session was led by two teachers and lasted for about 30 minutes. At the end the training, researchers re-tested the children’s self-regulation skills.
The results were somewhat disappointing. Overall, the kids in the treatment group hadn’t improved more than the control group. But when Tominey and McClelland looked at a subgroup—the kids whose initial self-regulation skills fell below the 50th percentile—they found evidence of an effect.
The kids with below-average self-regulation skills had improved with treatment.
So it seems that these topsy-turvy “rule-switching” games might help kids after all. And if they do, that’s really good news.
Because self-regulation may be crucial for success at school.
For instance, Shannon Wanless and colleagues recently tested kids (ages 3 to 6) in the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and China. The researchers found that kids with better self-regulation skills scored better on tests of vocabulary, math, and literacy. And these links remained significant even after controlling for other variables, like the parents’ education levels.
Other research paints a pretty dire picture of the consequences of poor self-control. As I note in this article, kids with deficits of self-control are at higher risk for behavior problems and health problems. They may even have shorter lifespans.
So I hope concerned parents and teachers take note. At Oregon State University, Megan McClelland will continue testing the effects of self-regulation training. And meanwhile? We have another good reason to play rule-based games with our kids.
For more information about Tominey and McClelland’s games–and other tactics that help kids develop self-discipline– check out “Teaching self-control: Evidence-based tips.”
Image by Emanuele Cerroni