Anger Management: 5 Tips to Manage an Angry Toddler!

 What is Anger?

Anger, just like any other feeling is also a normal emotion that is faced by anyone irrespective of age, gender, caste, creed, color etc. The level of anger ranges from person to person, where it can be minor or normal for some and go up to extreme for others at the same time and same situation.

The extreme form of anger can grow up into aggression. Especially where we’re talking about kids in the very initial stage of understanding, i.e. toddlers, it is very difficult for them to understand the extreme emotions like anger or frustration. Thus, it becomes very important to foster the anger management skills in the little ones from the very initial stage of development of this emotion.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Similar to the other stages of the development of a toddler, there comes a major alteration in the aggressiveness with growing age. Thus, managing anger in the initial stages becomes very important. Anger can be of different types in accordance with the person. Sometimes it might result in saddening your kid for a certain point in time or they might use a way out that’s disrespectful for you to consider.

Just like different types of anger reactions, the methods for managing the anger may also vary. With deep research and observation, we have formulated 5 ways in which parents can easily cope with the anger tantrums of their little ones. Let’s read them out.

 

• Help him recognize emotions!

Many kids do not even know how to express their emotions and thus, they end up using wrong methods of expression such as hitting, kicking, screaming, abusing, etc, to release their frustration. This alarms the need to build an emotional vocabulary which can be used by the child for expressing how he/she is feeling at the moment. It will foster the sense of different emotions and help the child to recognize each of them.

You can start up with few words, in the beginning, ranging from upset, sad, anger, mad, frustration, etc. and then move ahead with some complex feelings such as anxiety, tensed, nervous, irritated etc.

 

• Anger Management Module!

When you’re well aware of the fact that your child is struggling to manage his anger concerns, then it is the best option to help him out with an Anger Management Module. Anger management module is basically a set of techniques which can be used to curb the excess of anger and control it wisely without harming any other being or nature around.

You can formulate your own anger management schedule in accordance with your child and his natural behavior. This module can include tips such as:

• Writing down what makes you angry
• Writing your anger and tearing it off
• Taking deep breathe with 10-count
• Meditating for 2 minutes
• Thinking about the place or certain things that make you feel calm and peaceful.
• Drawing your anger
• Doing laughing exercise
• Listening music
• Playing with a dog

These tips will definitely help your child to manage anger easily.

 

• Guiding Healthy Coping Techniques!

Overcoming one of the most extreme feelings – ‘anger’ is very difficult. Thus, every child needs to be taught how to cope with these skills initially at home. Instead of giving an indirect approach to harmful ideas such as, “don’t throw that chair”, you can actually tell your kid to “Use your words to express, not things”.

Keeping kids away from any sort of action will only lead them to drive a bit closer towards that verb. Anyone who is facing constant anger and frustration instances is always advised to surround with positivity and motivation. Negative emotions along with constant enforcement of discipline, especially on kids will only distant you from them and influence them to pile up anger against you as well. Try to show as much as patience as you can.

 

• Managing consequences sideways!

Anger and discipline are like the two sides of a coin. If your child is facing serious outbreaks of anger and breaking all the rules out of their way, then it is definitely an alarming situation. Anger does not mean being disrespectful and thus, the undesirable behavior should not be accepted in any case.

So, it is always beneficial to brief children about the consequences of such behavior. These consequences can be portrayed in the form of taking away certain privileges when the behavior becomes unacceptable. But try not to get too harsh for a kid to manage.

 

• Go for a professionalized help!

If you observe that none of the tips are helping out your child in managing his anger issues then it is better to go for a professionalized assistance and consult a doctor in regards to the same. Or else you can directly consult a mental health professional or a counselor, especially in case of kids.

The concerned help will study your child and his surrounding including the family, siblings, living area, lifestyle etc. for gaining a better insight of what affects your child the most.

So, these were some of the tips for parents to tackle an angry child and help them cool down and work at peace. But remember,

“Love your child the way he is! He might be aggressive or create tantrums at times, but instead of disciplining him all the time, try to understand the reasons behind his anger and frustration.

Instead of trying to mold him your way, mold your thinking in accordance with his style of looking towards life. And then, experience the difference…!”

Watch this video for learning some simple anger management techniques …