4 Techniques To Calm Temper Tantrums: Guaranteed Effect!

Childhood temper tantrums are difficult for parents, but not impossible to overcome. In this article, we share 4 techniques to calm excess anger, with guaranteed effects.

Your children are growing up and will inevitably reach a point where they will show their frustration or anger through temper tantrums. For this reason, in this article, we are going to share 4 techniques to calm these seizures.

Temper tantrums: what are they more exactly?

Temper tantrums are an immature form in which children express their anger or disagreement. It happens because their desire for independence arises.

However, because of their age, this search for autonomy comes up against the limits of their young age and the intervention of parents. Because of this, they feel frustrated and express themselves through temper tantrums.

This usually happens when basic needs such as sleep, hunger, thirst, among others, cannot be met at that time. Or when the child needs to release tension, fears or frustrations.

However, they are a normal part of a child’s development.

Foolproof techniques to calm temper tantrums

According to a specialist site, children need to learn certain skills to deal with strong emotions, mainly those related to communication and emotional management.

• Have control impulses
• Solve problems
• Delay gratification
• To negotiate
• Communicate wishes and needs
• Know what is expected in a certain situation

If you pay attention to these points and make an effort to show them to your children, it is very likely that the episodes of temper tantrums will decrease.

On the other hand, many of the techniques for calming temper tantrums that we present to you below include these skills. We hope you find them useful.

1. Divert attention

This is one of the first techniques to calm temper tantrums suggested by specialists. You can use it if you notice that the child starts to cry for a particular object, asks for other objects or toys.

You can also do an activity in front of the child that you observe that he appreciates and has fun with you. This will serve as a center of distraction.

Little by little, your little one will fix his attention on the novelty and lose his attention in what was the trigger of his anger or his frustration.

2. Ignore

In order to apply this technique to effectively calm temper tantrums, you must eliminate all contact with the child: visual, physical or verbal. You should apply it as soon as the child starts this episode until the end.

When the little one has calmed down, he resists the reprimand or returns to the subject over which he was having a fit. Establish contact again with a different activity or topic.

It is necessary to clarify that, during the first few days when you apply this technique, there will probably be an increase in the intensity, duration or number of seizures, but do not worry.

The negative response of the child is related to the fact that he perceives a change in the environment and resists.

For this reason, you need to be calm and not give in. The child should not detect anxiety or fear in the parents, otherwise, he will identify what you are feeling to manipulate you.

3. Mark a time out

According to an article in the journal Pediatría Atención Primaria , downtime is a technique applied when the child cannot be ignored for his intolerable behavior.

It consists in separating the child from the situation or the environment which reinforces his behavior towards another neutral place, in which he does not receive any stimulus.

For this, the child will remain isolated for a few minutes. It is recommended to do this for at least 1 minute, with a maximum of 20 minutes in total, so that he can then return to his activity.

It is enough to explain the conditions: that he will be isolated for a time because of his behavior or because his attitude is not correct and that after this time, he will be able to resume his activities.

As with other techniques, you should avoid scolding or reasoning about the topic at this time. If you do, you will reinforce their behavior.

The place should be free of any stimulus or distraction that could allow him to play. The purpose of this technique for calming seizures is to make children feel that their actions were inappropriate and that they need to learn to control their emotions.

4. Take your child in your arms

Also called physical constraint, it is a technique to calm temper tantrums which consists of intensely kissing the child for more than 20 seconds.

Although it sounds strange, this action works as a punishment as it hinders the child’s freedom of movement, which seems unpleasant.

However, the intense embrace generates substances such as dopamine and serotonin which allow the child to calm down and decrease the severity of the tantrum.

On the other hand, it helps you to express your emotions without performing the classic manifestations of a temper tantrum. The power of a hug is amazing, don’t you think?

Recommendations

For parents, raising their children can be difficult. Especially when the little ones are between 2 and 5 years old and start to want their autonomy. But don’t worry, you will get there!

It is important that you resist the temptation to give your child what he asks for when he is having a temper tantrum. On the contrary, you have to positively reinforce the behaviors you want to encourage.

These could be spontaneous acts of affection or phrases that let him know he is behaving well.

Do not abandon ! You need to stand and try to understand the origin of this behavior and what triggers it. In this way, you can help your child to develop the skill that is lacking and overcome this difficult stage.

We hope you find these tips and techniques for calming crises useful. Have you used any of these techniques with your children? If so, was it useful? Share your answer or technique with us!