Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions

Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #1- Channel Changer Button- What is the Channel Changer/ Channel Changer Button?

Session Purpose: The channel changer button teaches children to filter out distractions by helping them
to recognize when they have changed channels. The remote control provides a visual aid to help them
learn to refocus on the task that is most important.

Group Activity: Students listened to the Hunter story to learn about what the channel changer will be
used for. Student also eat their lunch during group and are often distracted. This allows them to practice
using their channel changer button to say focused on the story.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students are to try to notice when they are distracted and on
the wrong channel. They can then use their channel changer button to help them get back to what
they should be focused on.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: The children in the group are learning new terminology to put names to
the different issues that come up when children have trouble with impulse control. Teachers and
parents can help them practice the new terminology and skills the children are learning. For the channel
changer button parents and teachers can ask the child What channel are you on? which is another
way of saying pay attention. Using this new terminology allows the child to recognize that he/she is
not focused and they need to change their channel.


Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #2- Pause Button-What is the pause button?

Session Purpose: The pause button is primarily a transitional button for the buttons the children will
learn in the future; fast forward, rewind, slow motion and coach buttons. This button teaches kids to
stop action in order to think, relax, slow down, wait, identify feelings, and create a plan.

Group Activity: Students were instructed to do and say certain things. If the instruction was consistent
with school rules, they were to do it. If they were instructed to do or say something inappropriate, they
were to say pause and push their pause button.
Students also played freeze dance. This allowed students to practice their channel changer
button and their pause button. Students had to focus on the music instead of their dance moves to
listen for when the music stopped. They then had to freeze/pause. Students who did not freeze were
out and helped pick out other students who did not freeze in future rounds.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students are to notice the times when they should have used
the pause button. Students should also practice using the pause button to make better choices.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: The pause button teaches kids to stop what they are doing immediately
when asked and to be patient and wait their turn. Parents and teachers can help reinforce those skills by
providing extra opportunity to practice those skills as well as rewarding the child (with praise or a small
token) when they see the child using the pause button.

Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #3- Fast Forward- What is the Fast Forward button?

Session Purpose: The fast forward button on the remote control gives children a tool to remind them to
think before they act. Used with the pause button, the concept of looking into the future and imagining
what might happen teaches impulsive kids the advantages of evaluating consequences before acting.

Group Activity: Students watch a scene from the Lion King (The Elephant Graveyard). During the video
clip we use our pause buttons to pause the clip and then use their fast forward buttons to think about
what may happen in the future. The kids help to brainstorm the good and bad consequences the
characters will receive depending on the choices they make.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students will use their pause and fast forward buttons to
make good choices by thinking through the consequences of their choices before they act.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Teachers and parents can help children practice using their fast forward
buttons by providing many opportunities to talk about what may happen in the future. Adults can do
this while reading, playing games or talking over examples from real life.





Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #4- Rewind- What is the Rewind button?

Session Purpose: The rewind button encourages children to make a cognitive shift from the focus on
past failure to future behavioral change. This button teaches students to evaluate their past behavior for
the purpose of learning from their mistakes, rather than using past performance as a measure of self-
worth. Students can be reminded that everyone makes mistakes and there is no value in getting stuck in
the should mentality.

Group Activity: Students were given should statements that may make someone feel down. The
students then turn those negative should statements into proactive Next time I will try to
statements. Students then discuss why it is ok to make mistakes and how we can learn from those
mistakes in the future.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students will practice using their rewind buttons. If the
student makes a mistake they will rewind and think about what they could do differently in the future so
they do not make the same mistake again. Students will also take the time to rewind and apologize for
any mistakes they have made.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Teachers and parents can help to remind children to use their rewind
button when they make mistakes. If it is possible, adults can allow students to have a do-over to try to
right their wrong. If that is not a possibility then adults can accept the childs apology and help them use
their rewind buttons to brainstorm better choices for next time.
Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #5-Slow Motion- What is the Slow Motion button?

Session Purpose: The slow motion button involves more than just slowing down and being more careful.
This button can be used to teach stress management skills such as the identification and appropriate
expression of feelings and relaxation training.

Group Activity: Students identify times when they get too much energy (like when they are angry,
excited or bored) and then brainstorm ways to slow down so they do not get themselves into trouble
(taking deep breaths, counting to ten, finding something productive to do). Then the students watch a
video that requires them to move as a story is told. Students practice slowing down and following along
with the story while doing the moves that are shown. The moves and stories are meant to relax the
student.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students should identify times they have too much energy
and use a skill discussed to help them slow down and stay out of trouble.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Teachers and parents can help reinforce the slow motion button by
discussing empathy with the child when they have too much energy. Ask the child how they would feel if
someone else was acting the way they are acting. Help the child remember what skills they know to
slow themselves down. Adults can also play games that require slow precise movements (like Jenga or
Operation) with their children. These games will force the child to slow down and concentrate.

Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #6- Coach- What is the Coach button?

Session Purpose: Self-instruction is an important skill for children to learn. The focus of the coach
button is on problem-solving strategies. The activities are designed to teach students how to break
down a task into smaller components, develop a plan, organize and schedule their life and encourage
themselves in the process

Group Activity: Students practice the art of problem solving by becoming problem solving STARs
(Stop, Think, Act and Review). Students will learn that when faced with a problem they should first stop
and clear their heads before trying to solve the problem. Then they can think of possible solutions to the
problem. They will then choose which solution has the best possible consequences and actually try that
solution. Finally students will review to see if their solution worked. If not, they can try a different
solution or ask an adult for help. Students practice these steps by solving example problems.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students will recognize when they have a problem and instead
of asking an adult for help right away they will try to solve the problem on their own first.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Teachers and parents can help children use their coach buttons by
showing children how to stay organized. Helping children learn to use a planner as well as setting up a
system to help keep their backpacks, folders and lockers organized can help them focus on what they
really need to be doing. Also adults can teach children to break down longer tasks into smaller ones
which will help them know how to get started.
Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #7- Zapper- What is the Zapper button?

Session Purpose: this button teaches students to recognize and reject unpleasant thinking patterns and
irrational beliefs.

Group Activity: Students respond to example thoughts that are read aloud. If they think the thought is
unpleasant and untrue, they say zap and push their zapper button. Students were reminded to use
their pause button if they were tempted to say zap before the counselor is finished reading the
thought.

Group Assignment: Throughout the week students will notice if they are thinking negative and untrue
thoughts about themselves, especially after a mistake. The student will then zap those thoughts and
think about the positive and true things about themselves.

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Teachers and parents can help reinforce the Zapper button by helping
children think through any negative, untrue thoughts. Help your child to see that overgeneralizing and
comparing themselves to others can give them a false sense of who they really are. Help your child to
see all of the positive attributes they have, even when they make a mistake.
*During our next and last session we will be reading letters of affirmation written for each
student. Please read the attached letter and send in letter for your child to be read at our last session.


Teacher/ Parent/ Guardian Follow-Up Suggestions
Hunter and His Amazing Remote Control- Impulse Control Group

Session #8- Way To Go- What is the Way To Go button?

Session Purpose: This button will teach kids positive self-talk. The Way to Go activities help student to
identify and focus on their strengths and credit themselves for effort, positive attitude, improvement
and achievement of goals

Group Activity: Students received letters of affirmation from their parents, teachers or the counselor.
These letters stated the positive qualities the adult sees in the child. Students also received a message
from Hunter reinforcing the fact that only the owner of the remote can make it work. No one else can
make them think, feel or act in a certain way. Students have the power over their actions.

Group Assignment: Students are to take home their folders and remotes. They should show all the
materials to their parents and teachers. They can choose the best place to keep their remotes so they
will actually use them (ex- taped to their desk, planner or pencil case).

Classroom/ Home Follow-Up: Parents and teachers can continue to encourage the use of the remote to
help students control their behavior. Adults can praise the child when they use the remote appropriately
(even if the physical remote is not around them).