All parents dread the feeling of being in public while their lovely little angel turns into a little screaming monster, all because they didn't get the toy or the candy that they want.
And while temper tantrums are pretty embarrassing, they're actually pretty normal and almost all kids go through a tantrum phase. However, if it becomes too frequent, or if it's become a real problem for you as a parent, then maybe you can try the following steps to help get your kid to calm down.
1. Know what triggers their tantrums
Some kids are really just more prone to tantrums than others. Which is why you should try and identify what type of things trigger their tantrums and try and address it before it happens. If your child gets angry because their little brother or sister refuses to share their new toy, then why not try and talk to your younger kid and ask them if they can share?
Addressing the cause of the tantrum before it can escalate is a good way to help ensure that your kid won't have frequent temper tantrums.
In some cases, it's also good to talk to them and ask them why they're having a tantrum. That way you can settle things through talking and making them understand that you want to help them figure things out so that they won't get frustrated or angry if it happens again in the future.
2. Ignore them
During a tantrum, studies have shown that the part of your child's brain which regulates their judgment basically shuts down and lets their emotions take over. This is the reason why it's particularly difficult to deal with a child having a tantrum, since you really can't reason with them.
So what's the fix? An option would be trying to ignore them. Since there's really nothing you can do to calm them down, the best thing really would be to just ignore your kid while they go through with their tantrum. They'll eventually calm down, and you can then talk to them about what happened afterwards.
3. Distract them with something else
Thankfully, children can easily be distracted. So if your kid throws a tantrum, you can try and distract them with a TV show, their favorite toy, food, or even showing them a fun video on your smartphone. You have to be creative when it comes to the distractions since your kid might not always be interested in the things that you're showing them.
Of course, you also have to play the part. You gotta sound interested and enthusiastic when offering them a distraction. That way they'd think that it's a pretty cool new thing, and they can immediately stop their tantrum.
Who knew that short attention spans can be a blessing?
4. Teach your kids other methods of dealing with frustration
For older kids who can be more in control of their emotions, you can start teaching them methods of how they can deal with their frustration. Instead of screaming and shouting, you can tell them to use their words and talk to you so that you can sort things out and figure out how to help them with their frustration.
The great thing about this method is that it helps you and your kid communicate better, which is very important as your child grows up so that you don't grow apart as they grow older and learn more things about the world around them.
5. Praise them for doing the right thing
If your child almost throws a tantrum but then stops and calms down, you should praise them and thank them for being mature and level-headed. Your child will appreciate the gesture, and they'll start to realize that if you just calm down, relax, and think things through, things would be okay.
It also teaches them that shouting and screaming are not the ways to get what they want. So always make sure to praise your child if they can manage to control their temper all on their own.
Sources: webmd.com, parents.com
READ: Deal with child tantrums the Drew Barrymore way!
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