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27 games

Games for impulse control: practising waiting and holding back through play

Impulse control means not following your first impulse, but pausing briefly and doing what the situation requires: waiting, holding your hand back, resisting a temptation, not taking out your anger on another player. Experts count it as part of inhibition, one of the three core executive functions alongside working memory and cognitive flexibility. Young children find it particularly hard; it improves a great deal in the preschool years and continues to mature into adolescence. A long-term study of a thousand children suggests how important it can be. Those who were better at controlling their impulses between the ages of 3 and 11 earned more on average as adults, even with the same intelligence and background.

Many board games call for this self-control again and again, often with immediate feedback. In games where players hit a bell, such as Fruit Punch, the hand has to strike at the right moment and stay still at the wrong one. In Cockroach Salad, it is often precisely the obvious answer that is not allowed. In push-your-luck games such as Can't Stop or Diamant, the winner is whoever stops in time. Bluffing games such as Skull require players not to give anything away.

The recommended ages are a guide: from age 4 there are simple reaction games and junior editions, from around age 7 push-your-luck games, and from age 8 to 10 bluffing and trick-taking games. What matters more is that a game challenges children without overwhelming them and becomes harder over time.

Our recommendations

★ 4.2

Editors' pick

Can't Stop

Ages 7+ · 2–4 players · approx. 30 min

Combine dice cleverly and advance on up to three routes, but whoever keeps rolling too greedily loses the whole turn. A classic of weighing risks.

★ 4.2

Editors' pick

Ghost Blitz

Ages 8+ · 2–8 players · approx. 20 min

Grab the right object, or the one that is not shown at all: reaction speed and impulse control under time pressure.

★ 4.2

Editors' pick

Fruit Punch

Ages 6+ · 2–6 players · approx. 15 min

Exactly five of the same fruit? Ring the bell! The reaction classic par excellence, and secret practice in grasping quantities.

The selection

Avocado Smash

Ridley's Games · 2+ players · approx. 10 min

Turn over cards and slap lightning-fast when the right picture appears: a boisterous reaction and card game for the whole family.

Perception and speedImpulse controlNumbers and arithmetic

Bellz!

Spin Master · 2–4 players · approx. 10 min

Use the magnetic wand to fish out only your own bells: a delicate touch meets a careful weighing of risks.

Fine motor skillsImpulse control

Cabo Deluxe Edition

Bézier Games · 2–5 players · approx. 30 min

Keep your face-down cards as low as possible, swap cleverly and call “Cabo” at the right moment: memory meets bluffing.

MemoryImpulse controlNumbers and arithmetic

Can't Stop

Franjos · 2–4 players · approx. 30 min

Combine dice cleverly and advance on up to three routes, but whoever keeps rolling too greedily loses the whole turn. A classic of weighing risks.

Impulse controlNumbers and arithmeticLogic and planning

Cockroach Salad

Drei Magier · 2–6 players · approx. 30 min

Say “lettuce” when there is a pepper on the pile: a Stroop test turned party game, and wonderfully tricky.

Impulse controlFlexibilityPerception and speed

Fruit Punch

AMIGO · 2–6 players · approx. 15 min

Exactly five of the same fruit? Ring the bell! The reaction classic par excellence, and secret practice in grasping quantities.

Impulse controlPerception and speedNumbers and arithmetic

Ghost Blitz

Zoch · 2–8 players · approx. 20 min

Grab the right object, or the one that is not shown at all: reaction speed and impulse control under time pressure.

Impulse controlFlexibilityPerception and speed

Jungle Speed

Zygomatic · 2–10 players · approx. 15 min

Matching symbols? Grab the totem in a flash, but the symbols are fiendishly similar.

Perception and speedImpulse control

Ages 10+★ 4.0

Lost Cities: Card Game – With 6th Expedition

Thames & Kosmos · 2 players · approx. 30 min

Two players launch expeditions and lay cards in ascending order, but every expedition started must first earn back its cost of 20 points. A thrilling duel.

Impulse controlLogic and planningNumbers and arithmetic

Lucky Sock Dip

HABA · 2–6 players · approx. 10 min

Everyone rummages through a wild heap of socks at the same time, looking for pairs: searching fun at high speed.

Perception and speedImpulse control

Pickomino

Zoch · 2–7 players · 20–30 min

Roll, add up, take a gamble: keep rolling or secure the worm? Weighing risks, with an addictive streak.

Numbers and arithmeticLogic and planningImpulse control

Port Royal

Pegasus Spiele · 2–5 players · approx. 20–50 min

Reveal ships and secure your winnings before you push your luck too far: an exciting push-your-luck card game in a pirate harbour.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

Ages 13+★ 4.1

Taboo

Hasbro Gaming · 4+ players · approx. 45 min

Explain a term without using the five most obvious words: creative paraphrasing against the ticking clock, as a team.

LanguageImpulse controlFlexibility

Taco Kitten Pizza

Blue Orange Games · 2–6 players · approx. 5 min

Guessing taco, kitten or pizza and turning over the card: when a Candy card appears, everyone slaps the middle. A reaction game for children.

Impulse controlPerception and speed

Trio

Cocktail Games · 3–6 players · approx. 15 min

Revealing hidden numbers and collecting three of a kind: whoever keeps track and guesses boldly wins. A simple, punchy game idea.

Impulse controlMemoryLogic and planning

Captain Flip

PlayPunk · 2–5 players · approx. 20 min

Draw a tile and decide: keep the visible character or flip it and hope for the other side? A light push-your-luck game with pirate charm.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

Diamant

IELLO · 3–8 players · approx. 30 min

Push deeper into the mine or get out with the loot in time? A shared risk in which greed is often punished.

Impulse controlLogic and planningCooperation

Ages 10+★ 4.0

Linko!

AMIGO · 2–5 players · approx. 20 min

Play cards and snatch the same number of lower cards from the other players: a mean, fast card-shedding game by Kramer and Kiesling.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

Mikado

various · 1–6 players · approx. 15 min

Pull sticks out of the pile one at a time without moving any of the others: steady hands and patience in a timeless game of dexterity.

Fine motor skillsImpulse control

No Thanks!

AMIGO · 3–7 players · approx. 20 min

Take the card or pass it on with a token? Keep your score as low as possible: a minimalist push-your-luck game with surprising depth.

Impulse controlLogic and planningNumbers and arithmetic

Ages 10+★ 4.2

Skull

Space Cowboys · 3–6 players · approx. 15–30 min

Lay a rose or a skull face down and bid how many discs you can turn over blind: a pure battle of bluff and nerves.

Impulse controlCooperationLogic and planning

Skull King

Grandpa Beck's Games · 2–8 players · approx. 30–45 min

Predict your tricks exactly and fight with pirate trumps: a lively trick-taking game with plenty of gloating.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

Speedy Words

University Games · 2–6 players · approx. 10 min

The classic word game with categories as a fast card game: find words for a letter and a category in a flash, vocabulary under time pressure.

LanguagePerception and speedImpulse control

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Blue Orange Games · 2–8 players · approx. 10 min

Take turns flipping cards and saying the words in sequence; when picture and word match, everyone slaps as fast as they can. Delightfully silly reaction chaos.

Impulse controlPerception and speed

Ages 10+★ 4.0

The Fox in the Forest

Renegade Game Studios · 2 players · approx. 30 min

A trick-taking game for two with clever special cards, but anyone who greedily takes too many tricks ends up empty-handed. A fine tactical duel.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

The Mind

Coiledspring Games · 2–4 players · approx. 15–20 min

Play cards in ascending order without saying a word: the team has to develop a silent feel for one another. Fascinatingly unusual.

Impulse controlCooperation

Triqueta

Deep Print Games · 2–5 players · approx. 20–30 min

Boldly collect sets of three tiles and secure them at the right moment: an accessible push-your-luck tile-laying game for the whole family.

Impulse controlLogic and planning

How we made this selection

Here you will find all the games in our collection that we have assigned to the impulse control skill area. They range from first reaction games from age 4 to bluffing and tactical games from age 10 and Taboo from age 13. Each of them has its own review on this website, with a description of how it plays and a skills profile. The recommended ages come from the publishers.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is impulse control?

Impulse control is the ability not to give in straight away to a strong urge or a temptation, but to do what is appropriate at that moment. It concerns behaviour, such as waiting until it is your turn or not taking a toy away from another child, but also feelings: not lashing out straight away when your feelings have been hurt. Research counts it as part of inhibition, one of the three core executive functions. It also includes not blurting out the first answer that comes to mind.

From what age can children wait and hold themselves back?

This develops step by step. Between the ages of three and five, self-regulation and executive functions make great progress, but younger children still need a lot of support from adults when learning rules. Holding back remains disproportionately hard for children for a long time; this ability continues to mature into adolescence. This selection starts with simple games from age 4 and goes up to bluffing games from age 10 and Taboo from age 13.

My child keeps slapping too early in reaction games: what helps?

That is typical: younger children often react too quickly and give the obvious answer, even when a different one is required. If you help them wait a moment, they make fewer mistakes. Turn the cards over more slowly at first, or agree on a rule: look first, then ring the bell. A small picture card showing the current rule next to the pile can also help children remember it.

What do push-your-luck games have to do with impulse control?

In Can't Stop, players can keep going as long as they like, but one unlucky roll can cost them everything they have gained in that turn. The temptation to try one more time is strong; anyone who wants to win has to stop in time and secure their haul. This is exactly what research describes as self-control: resisting a temptation and not acting impulsively. Children experience first-hand what greed costs.

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