Anger Management in Kids: Anger Control in Children
Learn about several techniques for anger management in kids. Read essential steps for Anger Control in Children at home and classroom for parents.
Have you ever been surprised by your child’s reaction, the last time you refused to comply with your child’s demands? Don’t worry; there are many parents like you who are in for a rude shock when they see their tiny little angels, get into a rage over small issues. Managing a child emotion has become a main concern for today’s parents. We as parents simply fail to understand what’s going inside the child’s mind!
The problem is so widespread that there are a number of anger management programs targeted specially at children. But is it, that difficult to control your child’s anger? No, it isn’t, provided you put in a little effort yourself. Many a times, children learn to express their anger, by looking at us. Our unconscious actions and reactions to situation are mimicked by children who have no other role model to look at. Let’s debug the causes of anger. There are three things involved in anger, the emotional aspect, the manner in which it is expressed and understanding the anger.
Children generally get angry when there is a conflict of interest over possession of something that the child likes, or when they are physically assaulted either by an elder or by a peer, especially if the child feels, he is being assaulted for no fault of his. Children also react angrily when they are teased at. Another important reason for anger among children is compliance issues, i.e. when they are made to comply with things that they cannot reason with.
Children should be made to realize that it is all right to be angry, but the anger should be expressed in a way that does not harm or injure the other person. The way anger is expressed by children differs from child to child. There are some children who cry and sulk, some answer back, and there are some who react by physically attacking the provocateur. Then there are some, who try as much as possible to avoid the provocateur.
Managing anger in a child begins by first understanding, acknowledging and finally helping them to express it a positive manner. There are several ways though which you can teach your child to express their anger positively.
As said earlier, you are your child’s role model. The way you behave is how your child would behave. If you bring out anger, positively, then your child would also do so positively. But if you react aggressively to a situation, your child would also behave in the same manner. You can also use positive change card game for anger control in Children.
Anger is often contagious. When the child expresses his anger, you never know when you lose control over yours. ‘Problems are to be solved only when everyone’s calm and in control’-always remember to enforce this rule in the house. For you to be able to enforce this rule, you need to get this habit in you. When the child is angry remember to remind the child that the situation is not conducive for a argument and you could talk it over after the two of you have calmed down.
Let the child express his anger, through words, instead of crying, yelling and kicking. Make the child aware, of how would he behave when he is angry. Teach him signs that indicate that he is getting angry. Through this the child can be aware that he is getting angry and control it, before it gets too late.