Aggression happens in every person, and in small people too. This is a protective mechanism in response to an irritant, such as a dangerous situation. For a child, a boy in the yard who is trying to take a toy from him may become a dangerous situation. With the help of aggression, he defends himself from an invasion of his space. But sometimes aggression in children can occur for no apparent reason. What then do the parents of an aggressive child?
Reasons for child aggression
Sometimes it may seem that the child has absolutely no reason for aggression. But why then does he attack, call names, and he is more impressed by negative characters in cartoons and fairy tales? Maybe it’s a matter of improper upbringing? Of course not! This means that in the life of a child there is an irritant that becomes a catalyst for this behavior.
Before scolding a child for bad behavior and trying to re-educate, it is worth analyzing the home environment and atmosphere in the family.
Scandals
If parents often swear, then the child can take it at his own expense. According to the baby, if mom and dad are cursing, then it is his fault.
Punishment of “abandoning the child”
“If you do not stop indulging, I will leave and you will be alone” – the phrase of many parents. Mom and Dad should know that the fear of separation from the parent is the strongest. Therefore, with such words you need to be careful.
Garden or school environment
It happens that other aggressor children who provoke a child can become a source of aggression. Then the baby has to be in a constant state of self-defense. Or, the educator or teacher “calms” children with threats.
Rejection of the feelings of the child
Sometimes parents, without noticing it, forbid the child to express their emotions. They do this using the phrases: “You’re a boy, why are you roaring?”, “Oh, you’re so ugly when you cry!” etc. Such restrictions on the expression of emotions lead to the fact that the feelings of the child are not worked out. Then they pour out by aggression.
Increased anxiety
Most often, the child is in a state of anxiety and constant stress due to excessive parental care. “Don’t go there, it’s dangerous there!”, “Do not climb the hill – you will fall!” – These simple phrases can make a child afraid of any danger, because of which he has a protective reaction – aggression.
Lack of attention
Sometimes a child tries to attract the attention of a child through bites, fights, tweaks, kicks in relation to his parents. Sometimes he can also be aggressive towards himself – banging his head against a wall, hitting himself, scratching his skin or pulling his hair.
How to Deal With Child Aggression?
Any emotions, including negative ones, must never be suppressed! They must be led in the right direction. You can use special games for this.
The game “swear vegetables”
Invite your child to scold a little, but not with bad words, but with the names of vegetables.
Example: “You are a pumpkin”, “and you are a pepper”, “and you are a zucchini”, etc.
A parent should also remember this game when he wants to scold his child for something. This will help you find the right expressions in a fit of parental anger.
Pillow Fight Game
The game is great for a child who prefers to express aggression with his fists. Offer your baby a pillow fight. To do this, you can put funny music and arm yourself with cushions softer. The main rule is to hit only with a pillow. Swearing and using other methods of fighting is prohibited. I broke the rules – the game is over.
The game “Snowballs”
Prepare shells from crumpled paper and rush into each other, not forgetting to dodge and hide behind the sofa and wardrobe. Such a “war” is very addictive for children, so get ready to play for a very long time.
Game “Fireworks”
For the game you will need as much colored paper as possible. The rules are very simple – give the child a “tear” paper and suggest tearing it into small pieces. It is advisable that the paper be as large as possible, because the child must release all the negative energy until interest in the lesson is gone. Then just toss up pieces of paper. After the game, collect together all the pieces of paper from the floor.
The game “Roll the ball”
Take the tennis ball and place it on the table. The objective of the game is to blow the ball so that it rolls. In order to complicate the game, you can invent various trajectories and blow so that the ball rolls along them. This game helps the child to relax all muscles and calm down, as a deep breath and exhalation is provided here.
The Storm Game
This game is great for swimming. Take a deep and wide bowl and fill it with water. Invite the child to arrange a small storm in it so that waves appear on the water. To do this, he must blow into the water.
Game “Lord of the Wind”
Another breathing game. The child and mother sit opposite each other. The adult tells the baby that now he is the lord of the wind. The task of the child is to blow as hard as possible, and mothers to pretend that she is being swept away from such a strong wind.