Kids Who Know How to Manage Their Anger are Taught THESE Skills
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Rather Listen? Here’s a link to this episode on my podcast!
Teaching kids how to manage their anger comes down to helping them shift their mindset so they can change their choices.
Rather than anger being viewed as a “bad” feeling, let’s come to see it as a messenger here to help us.
Then we can channel the anger towards effective communication, expression, and self-care.
So kids who know how to manage their anger are taught:
1. Emotional expression.
Repressed emotions don’t go away. They are simply stuffed out of conscious awareness and more likely to erupt at the next trigger.
Children who know how to manage their anger are given healthy outlets to express their emotions like:
- Art/writing
- Talking to someone they trust
- Exercise/movement
- Sensory play
- Open-ended play
2. How to communicate their wants and needs.
Children often resort to anger and aggression when they don’t have the words needed to express themselves. Their behavior becomes a form of communication (vs. their language).
To help combat this, teach them (over and over again) what words they need to communicate effectively including:
- “Please give that back.”
- “I feel overwhelmed right now and need help.”
- “I need attention.”
- “I need space or a hug.”
3. How to view their emotions.
When children are taught:
- All emotions are OK (including anger and sadness).
- Feelings come and go.
- I’m not my emotions.
- Emotions are messengers.
…They come to form a healthy relationship with their feelings.
Rather than feel overwhelmed or ashamed by their emotional experience, they come to view them more objectively (this is a skill that comes with lots of coaching, modeling and brain development but we can plant these seeds early on).
Download my free ebook: Your 3-Step Plan When Your Child Gets Angry or Aggressive
This ebook is going to give you the tools you need to:
- Understand the psychology of anger so that you can see your child and their emotions clearly (especially in the heat of the moment)
- Learn about the levels of emotional dysregulation so that you can tailor your responses and be more effective
- Have a clear 3-step plan based on your child’s level of dysregulation so you can stop feeling flustered, triggered and helpless during your child’s angry outbursts
- Bonus printable checklists to help you stay more present, calm, and patient in the heat of the moment
Click to download the e-book for free!
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