Help Your Toddler Cope With Strong Emotions and Impulses
In this Article
Wouldn’t you love it if your child would not lash out in anger every time he wanted to express his needs? Well, impulsive behavior in children can be tackled easily enough when you know how. Learn how to help your toddler be more in control of his emotions and actions.
Babies are born with virtually no control over their emotions and impulses, which is why they’re not able to communicate their needs and desires. As they grow up, it becomes important to give proper direction to their behaviour for their proper growth and ability to live cordially in society.
Helping Children with Impulse Control: Must-knows for Parents
When toddlers reach the age of 12 months, they start exhibiting strong emotions and asserting their independence. At this point of time, parents need to step up in teaching toddlers self-control, and teaching them to constructively manage their anger. They’ll apply what they’ve learnt in later life and will find interacting with other people much easier.
Tips for Toddlers to Manage Emotions and Impulses
1. Give toddlers the opportunity to choose
Toddlers like to have a sense of independence, and giving them an opportunity to choose lets them know you trust them. It also helps them develop decision-making skills and teaches them how to control their emotions. Encourage your child to voice her opinion on storybooks, music and games. Let her choose what she wants to play or read.
2. Practice using words to express emotions
A child with impulsive behaviour will assert his emotions through physical displays because he can’t find the correct words. Help your toddler understand how he can express his urges and impulses using words. Most importantly, always set an example. With children, it’s always monkey see, monkey do!
3. Recognise your tot’s feelings and put words to them
An effective way of anger management for toddlers is to put words to the way children react. For instance, if your child hits another kid for taking a toy, you could say ‘I know you’re angry at giving your toy to your friend, but hitting will not help get it back’. A child with no impulse control needs to be handled with a lot of patience and calmness, since he usually lashes out due to lack of knowledge of expression.
4. Teach children to wait
Patience is a virtue that goes a long way in helping your toddler make and keep friends. It helps with self-control and impulse control in toddlers. However, you should remember that kids are restless, and should be kept occupied with something while waiting.
5. Practice self- control yourself
Patience and self-control are acquired virtues. Children are going through a lot of changes, and not being able to express themselves can be quite frustrating. Imagine yourself surrounded by people who don’t understand your language, and having to communicate your needs to them! That’s how toddlers feel whenever they have a strong emotion. Teaching self-control requires parents to exhibit a fair bit of it themselves!
Anger management can be challenging to deal with but it produces positive results. It’s also rewarding watching your tot grow up to be a peaceful and patient child.
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