As our children grow, they will be faced with many difficult choices. Each choice they make will determine their success in school, friendships, and their future. Every parent’s goal is to raise kids who make smart decisions. So how do we begin to teach them to make good choices in the moment? The answer is by teaching them self control. Self control is defined as the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations.

Research shows that it is worth the effort to teach our kids self control beginning at an early age. “Kids who displayed greater amounts of self control at age four went on to earn better grades, were more popular with peers and teachers, were less likely to report problems with drug use, and earned higher salaries as adults.” www.thrivingfamily.com On the other hand, studies show that “Kids with poor self control are more likely to have aggressive behavior problems….and are also more likely to experience anxiety and depression.” www.parentingscience.com Now that we have established the importance of self control, how do you go about teaching it?

Encourage activities that teach self control

Activities like sports, music lessons, or clubs like Boy Scouts teach kids self control. Children may not always want to practice, but spending the time to work on their skills will help them become more skilled. Parents can also encourage kids to play games that teach self control such as Red Light-Green Light and freeze tag. Having children spending time in solitary activities like puzzles helps them work toward an achievable goal on their own.

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