Teaching children how to deal with
their anger is hard because you don't know when your
child will get angry again. Use the time between
angry outbursts to discuss and practice how to deal
with anger. Practice each evening for about 2 to 3
minutes.
There are 5 important parts to
teaching anger management. They are:
-
Practice a substitute behavior. You and
your child should practice a new behavior to use
when he is getting angry. Some ideas include
counting, counting backwards, picturing a
peaceful scene in his mind, or blowing pretend
bubbles. Blowing pretend bubbles is a good one
to start with because it is easy and encourages
your child to take long, slow breaths. Start by
blowing real bubbles using a bubble solution and
then have him pretend he is blowing bubbles by
holding his hand up to his mouth as though it
were the bubble wand. Teach your child to do
this as soon as he starts to feel frustrated or
upset.
- Reward.
With your child, make a list of rewards that he
can earn by practicing the behavior every day.
Also reward for using the new behavior to avoid
feeling frustrated or angry. Rewards are very
helpful to help children learn to manage their
anger.
- Give
examples. Tell your child about times
when you have been angry and stressed, and what
you did. Give examples of what your child could
do in a similar situation. It is important that
your child see you successfully deal with your
own anger.
-
Encourage using the new behavior. When
your child first starts to get upset, remind him
or her to practice the new behavior. The sooner
you prompt your child, the easier it will be for
him to try it. If you wait until your child
loses control, the exercises probably will not
help. Only tell your child once.
- Avoid
arguments and correct him consistently.
Don't argue with your child. Everybody loses
when there is an argument. Set a good example
and deal with your child in a quiet, calm
manner. When you need to discipline your child,
use your normal method of discipline (for
example, time-outs). Don't change what you do
because you are angry or because you don't want
your child to get angry.
The more you work on teaching these skills, the
faster your child will learn to deal with his own
anger. Once a child has learned to deal with his
anger, he won't need as much help with it.