Teaching Kids to Express Frustration in a Way That’s Helpful
Just like adults, young children can and do experience feelings of frustration. While we want our kids to be content and stress-free, we must realize times of frustration will inevitably occur. Rather than wish the feelings away or brush them aside, dealing with the proper and healthy ways to deal with frustration will help your child develop positive coping skills and lead to the road to emotional well-being.
Here are some tips to help kids express their feelings of frustration in helpful ways so they can deal with the issues they are experiencing. At first, these may not be an immediate fix, but over time they will help kids learn that frustration is just another emotion that exists and they are in charge of how they handle it.
Take a Time Out
A few deep breaths and some time to process whatever’s going on will allow kids to simmer down before the frustration overcomes them. If your child is frustrated about something that happened during his soccer game or that he must go to his cousin’s house when he’d rather stay home suggest he go to his room for a while and relax or play with a toy. Encourage him to think about why he’s feeling the way he does and what he can do to feel better. Sometimes just the few minutes of reflection will change feelings of frustration into positive energy. Some time watching a little TV, reading a book, or just napping can take those feelings into a better space. If it’s helpful, sit by his side as he closes his eyes to calm down.
Write Down Feelings
If your child is old enough to process his thoughts and put them to paper, writing down how he is feeling is a good technique to help him simmer down. Suggest he write down words that express his emotions. He may write words such as “angry,” “sad,” “hurt,” “mad,” or “let down.” Sometimes just writing down how we are feeling is a stress relief. Once you see his words, ask him to write more about why he feels that way and why. Next, he can write down ways to remedy the situation or how to feel better again. Perhaps he can draw a picture of something that makes him smile or a poem that he can feel proud of. Getting the words out and spending the time doing so will get his thoughts off the frustration and into a better state of mind.
Talk it Out
Make sure you are open to talking to your child about his feelings and he knows he can come to you with his problems. Talk about how you’ve been frustrated too and how you made peace with the situation. Offer him coping tips or ways to change the situation around. Can he talk to the person who’s made him feel frustrated and work on a solution? Can he do something different next time to ensure a better outcome? Help him understand that there are other paths he can take in order to end his frustration and feel better. Sometimes kids cannot see past the moment, so talking your child through the pain will lead him towards a brighter tomorrow.
How do you help your child handle frustrating times? Any tips to share with our readers? For more info like this, please visit All My Children Blogs.
By: Melissa A. Kay
