Playing the Impulse Control Game Simon with Your Child at Home

Simon isn't really about lights and sounds — it's a playful way for your child to practise the small pause between feeling an urge and acting on it.

In short

Simon (the memory-and-repeat light-and-sound game, or your simple homemade version) is a lovely home tool for building impulse control: your child must wait, watch the whole sequence, then respond — exactly the "stop and think" muscle we want to strengthen. Start short and easy, celebrate the waiting as much as the right answer, and play in calm, brief bursts. This is a play activity, not a treatment, and it pairs beautifully with everyday routines.

How to play it at home

You don't need the electronic toy — four coloured cups, claps, or taps work just as well.

Set it up for success

• Play when your child is calm and rested, not hungry or overtired.
• Keep rounds to 5–10 minutes. Stop while it's still fun.
• Begin with a 2-step sequence and grow slowly (3, then 4) as they succeed.

Build the pause

• Say the rule warmly: "Watch ALL of it, then it's your turn." The waiting is the skill.
• Add a gentle cue — "freeze hands until I finish" — and praise the wait itself: "You waited so well!"
• Take turns being the leader. Letting your child set the sequence builds planning and self-control too.

Stretch it as they grow

• Try "Simon Says" style variations where they only copy some signals — this layers in inhibition (acting only on the right cue).
• Slow down or speed up the pace to vary the challenge.
• Keep it light: a wrong turn is just "let's try again," never a failure.

Mistakes and big feelings during the game are normal and useful — they're chances to practise calming down and re-starting, with you as the steady, encouraging guide.

When to look a little closer

Games like this support self-regulation, but they don't replace assessment. If your child finds every waiting situation overwhelming — constant interrupting, difficulty stopping a preferred activity, big meltdowns around turn-taking across home and school — it's worth a developmental check rather than more practice alone.

The Pinnacle way

A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from a home game or a score alone. Our team can show you how the Impulse Control Game Simon fits into a wider plan, and how targeted occupational therapy builds attention and self-regulation step by step.

Trusted sources

Guided by AAP and HealthyChildren.org guidance on play that builds self-regulation, and CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." milestones for attention and behaviour in young children.

Next step — play one short, joyful Simon round today, and if waiting and impulse control feel like an everyday struggle, book a developmental assessment with Pinnacle Blooms Network on WhatsApp: +91 91001 81181.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.