Anger management for kids is essential as children will grow using these strategies when they get frustrated in life. Anger is a powerful emotion that affects the person physically while also affecting the people and things surrounding them. To avoid destructive anger, it is wise to teach a child strategies to cope with this emotion.
Deep-Breathing Techniques to Deal with Anger
A parent went viral for sharing a parenting tip that helped deal with their child's anger and frustrations. The parent said it had been six months since the child learned this strategy and continues to use it, Pop Sugar revealed. The kid-friendly deep-breathing technique can be taught even to preschoolers.
The technique is called "high-five breathing," "take-five breathing," or "five-finger breathing." The parent discovered this technique while observing a child's teacher talk about the calming strategy. It works this way-trace your fingers up (inhaling) and down (exhaling) until you finish tracing your hand. Adults can also do this simultaneously with the child to ease tension build-up before talking with the child.
Watch the Clock
Another way to get the child to count to 10 and take deep breaths is to tell them to wait one minute before they react to a frustrating situation. They can use a wristwatch which helps them focus on the ticking seconds. At this time, their breathing begins to normalize.
Belly Breathing
When the child is calm, it is during this time that parents can teach a child to observe their body's response to anger. The 'fight or flight response is triggered when angry, and breathing properly can interrupt this response.
A quiet time is an excellent way to teach belly-breathing. First, the child should lie on his back, eyes closed, one hand on his upper chest, the other hand on his stomach. When inhaling, the child should notice the hand on his stomach move upward while the hand on his chest remains still. Inhale for four counts, hold it in, and exhale. When angry, the hand on the chest will be moving exaggeratedly. So this should help relax the child.
Notice the Feathers
This strategy can help distract a frustrated child. When she inhales, she should feel her hand on her abdomen move upwards. When she exhales slowly, the feather under her nose should flutter. If placed on a table, the feather should move slightly across the table-calming and distracting the child.
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Read Stories about Anger Management for Kids
Some stories teach about anger management and self-control. This includes the "Runaway Palace" and "The Fence." Such stories teach that anger affects not only the person who is angry but also things and people. Further, these stories teach that while sometimes the damage can be repaired, there will still be scars or wounds left from hurtful words released in anger.
Model the Right Behavior When Angry
Anger needs to be acknowledged as emotion and dealt with using a calming response. When children see adults lose their temper, they are more likely to have tantrums. But if they often see adults cope with anger in a kind manner, they follow suit. Teach the child to verbalize feelings without hurting someone so that they can explain their emotions. If you need to walk away to avoid yelling, tell your kids why. And parents should take responsibility when they lose their cool in front of the kids, Very Well Family advised.
Establish Rules for When Angry
Anger rules should be centered on behaving with respect towards those around you. This means avoiding name-calling, destroying things, throwing, breaking, aggressive behavior, using hurtful and foul language. One parent allows her child to scream in his room when he feels aggressive, but he cannot hit his sister, Hope Therapy Wellness revealed. The child was allowed to vent and express his emotion without hitting anyone. Slowly, the child has learned to scream less and become less aggressive.
Brainstorm with the Child
This 1-minute anger management activity works well for both kids and teens, Kidlutions advised. It gives the child freedom to act the way they want, within the limitations of the rules set for when angry. For 1 minute, allow the child to brainstorm coping skills for anger management. Then, talk with the child to see which techniques are possible and which they will follow through with.
