8 Techniques To Help Children Manage Anger
Anger is one of the primary emotions of the human being and it is what causes us anger, irritability or rage in the face of a situation that we do not like or cause us frustration, and this happens the same in children. Sometimes little ones feel anger so intensely that they are unable to control it. In the following lines we are going to see some techniques to help children manage anger.
Anger is expressed in two ways in our body : one internally, by accelerating the heart rate and increasing blood pressure and adrenaline production; and another external one, which is the change of expression that it produces, the high tone of the voice, the tension of the muscles, etc.
In a situation where children are angry, they may yell, hit, throw objects, or swear. What can we parents do if our children act out in anger? We will try to answer this.
Techniques to Help Children Manage Anger
Anger is not a pleasant emotion for anyone, but we cannot consider it in a negative way, since with it we can learn a lot.
It is normal for children to feel angry when faced with a certain situation that causes frustration. Parents should not invalidate that emotion with our words or behavior, as it would make them feel worse.
In this sense, parents have to help children manage anger, and we can do it through some techniques like the ones we are going to see below.
Help recognize anger
When the child is immersed in an attack of anger, it is very difficult to talk with him, therefore, we must wait for this event to happen to have a conversation about what has happened. We have to ask him why he reacted like this and how he feels after this episode. All this in order for the little one to realize that emotion and know why he has felt it.
Keep calm and avoid yelling
Parents have to show an example and we must not lose our temper, yell, shake the child or slam doors. If we want the little one to learn to manage anger, he has to see in us an example of controlling that same emotion, despite the fact that there are situations in which it is easy to lose patience.
We also run the risk that, if we react in an aggressive or violent way, the child’s anger and tantrum will increase much more.
Teach the child to act without anger
On many occasions, minors react with anger because they do not have enough skills to control it and do not know how they can solve the problem in which they are immersed. For this reason, we must teach them to:
- Identify what caused that emotion of anger.
- Talk to him about what happened and explain that this way of acting is not the right one, and how he can act better for another occasion.
- Help you find solutions for future difficult situations.
- Reinforce the child when responding to a situation without anger and calmly.
Switch to another activity
When your little one begins to feel the emotion of anger, we can help him by switching to another activity that is fun for him. In this way, we will get you out of that state of frustration.
- Tell stories while viewing the pictures.
- Play a board game with the family.
- See a movie that you really like.
- Play with plasticine and make figures.
- Make a pot of calm and use it when you feel angry.
- Draw a picture while listening to music.
Physically get out of the situation
We will try to physically get the child out of the situation that provokes anger with actions such as:
- Take a walk with dad, mom, or both.
- Go out to the garden, if we have it.
- Find a corner that gives you calm and tranquility so you can relax.
More techniques to help children manage anger
Teach to release tension
Let’s see some of the ways that children can help release tension:
- Sport. It is excellent for managing anger and stress, as it releases endorphins that help you feel calm and well-being. In addition, the excess energy of children is wasted.
- Relaxation or breathing techniques. Especially in the moments when you are feeling this emotion, it will help you to return to calm
- Activities like yoga or mindfulness can also help.
Fostering Empathy to Help Children Manage Anger
It is very important to teach and encourage empathy in children so that they understand how others feel and know how to put themselves in the place of the other. This is essential for them to manage anger, so we must transmit this value to children from an early age.
Teach self-control strategies
We can show our child some techniques that help him to have self-control when he is feeling anger, such as the traffic light technique.
With this method we will indicate to the child, through cards of the three colors of the traffic light, if he should stop, if he should analyze what is happening and why he is behaving like this or that he can express what he is feeling.
In short, if adults sometimes find it difficult to control anger, it is even more difficult for children, since they still do not have control over their emotions. The younger a child is, the worse he will handle with this emotion, so these techniques to help the child manage anger can be very useful to teach him how to handle it.
It is true that not all children react to a situation with anger, but if they did, parents are responsible for teaching how to manage this emotion in our children. With patience and love, everything is achieved.
