We're sure there are days when your home feels like a circus. Colourful, loud and with little people jumping from one end to the other. The last one is especially true when your child is a little more active than the other kids. At times, it may feel like your little does not have an ‘off switch.'
On the outside, that’s a great view - happy child going about his daily tasks but only you know how troublesome that can be.
For instance, let’s take the iconic detective duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Now, you always root for the eccentric detective who likes to break the rules and is a little hyper when it comes to solving cases. However, it’s Dr Watson who needs to constantly keep things on the leash, and be the ‘uncool’ person in the room. Keeping this in mind, you, my dear parent, are Dr Watson to your child’s Holmes.
As much as having a hyperactive child feels special and promises a genuinely gifted individual in the house, it also increases the risks of the child hurting himself, especially when he’s emulating the energy of a kangaroo.
That’s why it’s necessary that you know different ways on how to calm hyperactive child in the house before things go awry.
Raising A Hyperactive Child
This has also been the concern of Reddit mum who has a five-year-old daughter and an extremely hyperactive one at that. As she describes in her post, the mum had to take the little one to the emergency room recently after she strained her neck doing flips on the couch.
As the mum describes further, her daughter has always been hyperactive and has trouble focusing her attention on selective things. She’s always been that way.
The mum took the girl to an occupational therapist when she was two-and-a-half-years-old. While the girl does not have autism or a sensory processing disorder, the therapist did say the girl is “extremely gifted.”
However, the hyper activeness of the child is now turning out to be a concern for the mum who does not want constant complaints from the school. She’s already been facing issues at her church's Sunday school program.
The mum has two more young children aged 2.5 and seven months who aren’t this hyperactive. But she’s concerned that the five-year-old’s high energy might be a problem as she grows older not allowing her to live a peaceful, happy childhood.
She’s already been to the paediatrician, who’s recommended a therapist for the little one. “She told us there's a big gap between her emotional development, which is normal, and the rest of her, which is lightyears ahead. That gap creates a lot of confusion and anxiety for her,” said the mum.
The Reddit user reached out to other parents online and the community certainly didn’t disappoint.
What Do The Netizens Say?
Other mums with hyperactive children were quick to weigh in on the user’s concerns and did give responses about how they deal with the situation.
One mum explained that “Homeschool probably won't be the best option. Gifted students are incredibly hard to please mentally.”
She further explained that some hyperactive kids are sensory seekers. That means they purposefully seek out behaviour and do activities like jumping, flipping, or clanging silverware. They do so because it meets a certain sensory need.
Instead of abstaining them from doing that particular, the idea is to redirect it.
Another user elaborated on how this could be a case of twice-exceptional kids.
She wrote, “My niece was officially diagnosed as a Twice-exceptional kids - go read about it. They are indeed extremely gifted in a certain area and very challenged in other areas. Just to give you an idea, my niece is 15 and academically brilliant in math and almost all the classes. She also self-taught guitar and piano. Her challenge? Writing.”
Handling A Hyperactive Child
A hyperactive child may show signs of instability and inattentiveness that will make it difficult to handle them. They usually bounce from one activity to another and are doing things without necessarily thinking about the results.
As bad as it may sound, there’s nothing gravely wrong about it.
Instead, children who are hyperactive are truly “gifted” and need a little bit of attention from caregivers to ensure they aren’t burning out fast.
How To Calm Hyperactive Child In 5 Ways
A hyperactive child needs someone to show them the right direction to utilise their talents wisely. Here are five tips for parents to manage the chaos more effectively.
1. Channelise their energy
Parents do not need to plug the energy of a hyperactive child. Instead, they need to find ways to channelise the energy towards more productive use. For instance, a child who likes to jump a lot does not need to be reprimanded every time he does it on the couch. Instead, allow him a designated space and a pogo stick or trampoline to satiate the want.
Therapists also recommend investing in classes with physical activity that help use up their energy. Gymnastics and outdoor sports are great options to help keep your hyperactive child occupied.
You can also sign up for activity boxes that will help kids engage their brain and focus all that pent up energy on more play-based activities.
2. Give them free active time
Just because your child is gifted that does not mean you create a robotic schedule for them. He is a child after all and once in a while, he has all the right to let loose and enjoy being a “hyperactive” child.
Allow your little one to have free time where he can just be himself without too many restrictions.
This can be some time in the backyard or in the room, wherever your child wants it to be. Make sure to establish ground rules around safety, especially if you can’t keep an eye on him constantly.
Some activities your child can carry out during the free time:
- Run outside
- Play on the swing set
- Jump on the couch or bed
- Roughhouse or playfully wrestle together
- Dance or sin
3. Try behaviour therapy
It can get difficult for a hyperactive child to listen to you but if you add an incentive, there’s a good chance you have his attention.
Reward your child for listening to your instructions and that will encourage them to follow them more often. Discuss what you expect him to do and make sure you acknowledge it whenever they listen.
This will help your child to establish order.
4. Help them deal with their feelings
Hyperactive kids can often lag behind on emotional development. That’s why they find it difficult to deal with their emotions including anger, sadness, worry, and more.
It can also create issues for them to distinguish between what’s good and bad.
As parents, you will have to be their emotional and at times, moral compass, till the emotional development catches up with them.
Make sure to create an open channel of communication in the house wherein your kid can ask you about what’s bothering him without hesitation.
5. Help them relax
Whether your child is hyper or not, it’s always a good idea to minimise screen time. It’s also a good idea to take them outdoors like a garden or even the beach where they can follow some calming activities.
You could even make arrangements at home to help your child relax. Here are some ways you can try at home:
- Rocking in a swing, hammock, or a rocking chair
- Dimming lights in the bedroom will help calm them down
- Organising their things like putting the toys back in place or clearing the room of mess can help bring a calming feeling to the child
- Choosing softer and slow music can also help the child relax
- Much like dimming the lights, slow-changing lights can also have a calming effect on the child. For instance, the lava bed lamp is a great example of having a calming effect.
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