Childhood years are of critical importance in terms of an individual's personality development and the acquisition of many behaviors. During this period, it is very important for the child to have a healthy and appropriate learning environment, both psychologically and socially. Some negative behaviors such as aggression may occur in childhood. These negative behaviors can be exhibited in various places and against various events and can put both the child and his/her immediate environment in trouble.
There are emotions that accompany aggression. The most critical of these emotions is the feeling of "anger". Children may have difficulty coping with anger, which can put them in situations where they do not know what to do. There may be various reasons why a child becomes angry and exhibits aggressive behavior. Situations such as being hurt, internal conflicts, not meeting needs, or encountering unexpected consequences can be given as examples of these reasons. It is also possible for children to exhibit negative behaviors such as aggression by taking their peers as a model. It has been observed that preschool children between the ages of 3 and 5 can easily become angry and exhibit aggressive behavior. The reasons for this may be that they cannot express themselves sufficiently, that someone prevents them from doing a behavior they want to do, or that they are forced to share their toys or any belongings that belong to them. School-age children between the ages of 6 and 8 experience anger and express it for different reasons compared to previous periods. Children at this age have the ability to express themselves, and the negativities they experience, the situations they do not like, the discrimination and exclusion they are exposed to may cause them to become angry.
When children feel anger and exhibit these feelings along with behaviors that we can call aggression, parents react to this situation. She may try to change and calm her child down. There are various methods for anger management that parents can apply to their children and teach them to manage this situation.
First of all, it is important to understand the situations that cause anger in the child and to what extent these situations create tension in the child. so that appropriate solutions can be developed. Responding with anger to an angry child can make the situation difficult. Additionally, reacting with anger may push the child to become even more angry and display aggressive behavior rather than calming him down. Listening to the child calmly and trying to understand what the problem is and why he is angry paves the way for finding solutions and ensures that the child's wishes are fulfilled (if possible). However, during a tantrum, what the child wants should not be done. This behavior may cause the child to reinforce anger and aggressive behavior. After the child calms down, the parents should say that they do not approve of this behavior, but expressions such as "I am upset with you" should not be used to the child because he exhibits this aggressive behavior. The child needs to know that he is loved and will be loved by his parents under all circumstances.
It is important for children to recognize emotions and accept them. Children who recognize and accept their emotions can be more successful in coping with anger. At this point, various games and activities can be played with children to help them recognize their emotions. For example, all family members can draw a picture of how they felt that day on a piece of paper, show these emotions with their facial expressions, and try to guess each other's feelings. Alternatively, they can talk about when they experience various emotions and where in their bodies they feel these emotions.
We emphasized the importance of giving time to children who become angry and exhibit aggressive behavior to calm down. Having a child's own corner at home allows him to regulate his emotions. When the child is having a hard time, directing him to use this area can help him. It is important to create this corner with the child because it would be better for him to decide which item would be good for the child. Apart from the items chosen by the child, cushions, favorite books, and plush toys can be placed in this corner.
Sometimes, a solution to tantrums and aggressive behavior may not be found, and the child may develop mood disorders, behavioral disorders or anxiety disorders. In such cases, be sure to get support from an expert. It should be considered.
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