Tips to Help Kids Learn To Control Their Emotions

Temper tantrums in the supermarket? Angry bursts at home when not getting their way? We’ve all been there – but we’re here to tell you that it DOES get better. With a little patience and loaded with the right information, you can help your little ones control their emotions in a safe and efficient way.

Observe the Triggers – You’re constantly around your child and you observe firsthand the little things, details, possibly even sounds, smells or people that make your little one lose control of their emotions. And the first thing you need to do when on a mission to help your child manage their feelings is to pay attention to all the things that disturb them. While avoiding all stressors might seem impossible, you can definitely find your way around diminishing at least some of the stressful triggers in your child’s life.

Validate Your Child’s Feelings – Whenever your little one feels angry, upset, sad or scared, the first thing you need to do in order to help them overcome their negative emotions is to validate what they are feeling – and you can do just that by simply communicating that you understand what they are going through. Here’s a simple example to get you on the validation track: “I know that you are upset because you dropped your ice-cream” will take you much further than “Stop crying over ice-cream!”.

Find an Arsenal of Coping Strategies – Since not all kids are the same, you’ll need to test out different activities and strategies in order to find out what works for your child best. One thing to keep in mind: avoid using these strategies as an actual distraction, but rather talk about your child’s feeling first, then opt for a relaxing activity in order to bring them back to their happy place. Here are some of the activities you can have your little one try when they are feeling angry, overly-stressed or sad: watching a funny video (animals usually do the trick), taking a nap, cuddling time with either you or their favorite toys, listening to their favorite song or petting the family pet.