Help your child cope with aggression

Anger management

Have you ever been called into the teacher’s office because your child physically abused his or her classmate? Have you ever become the target of curious onlookers as your child starts hitting and kicking you in public? If these situations sound all too familiar to you, the good news is that you are not alone and there are ways to help your child to cope with aggression. Dealing with aggressive children is certainly an arduous task but not an insurmountable one. Check out the following tips on how to help your child to cope with aggression.

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5 tips to help your child to cope with aggression

While children with aggressive tendencies vary largely from one another, the following 5 tips could aid in helping your child to cope with aggression.

1. Consistency

Consistency is an important factor when disciplining children. At a young age, children require some rules to help guide their growth and development. A lack of boundaries can cause them to become confused and act out.

With regards to aggressive children, especially younger kids, you have to try to be consistent in how you deal with them every time they display violent behaviour. Try not to ignore their aggressive behaviour the first time, then scream at them the second time and attempt to reason with them the third time. Although it may be difficult to practice, being consistent can help your child to cope with aggression.

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2. Take your child away

In order to help your child regain control over his or her emotions, it is advisable to take your child somewhere else. The change in environment might have a calming effect on him. Remaining in the situation which provoked his aggressive behaviour might only worsen the situation as the environment could serve as a stimulus to his violent behaviour.

3. Isolate your child

Isolate your child in a quiet area when they display aggressive behaviour. Apart from serving as a form of punishment, it can also help your child to regain control over his emotions and reflect on his mistakes. It is recommended that before isolating your child, explain to them why they are being punished and how they can redeem themselves. But conversation with your child should be minimal when explaining to them before the time-out.

4. Help your child mentally prepare themselves

Another great way to help your child to cope with aggression is to give them a pep talk beforehand. This comes in handy when your child has a tendency to act aggressively in certain environments. So before bringing them to that place, give them a pep-talk beforehand and remind them violent behaviour is not acceptable.

5. Listen

After stopping the aggressive behaviour, take some time to let your child explain what provoked him or her to behave that way in the first place. Listening to your child’s rationale for acting aggressively will help you better understand the source of their violent behaviour. Furthermore, this will also make it easier to explain to them why a violent reaction is never acceptable.

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Did this article help your child to cope with aggression? Tell us about it. We’d love to hear from you! Check out this video for more tips on how to handle aggressive children: