How to Handle the Three Ts: Tempers, Tantrums, & Tears
At The Blue Elephant, we’re fortunate to have both a student body of committed learners and a full staff of professional early child educators, which makes dealing with any potential meltdowns easy. But as a parent alone with your child, the task of dealing with tantrums may not be so easy – especially if the meltdown happens in the middle of a busy supermarket. But don’t worry: tantrums are tameable, and following a few simple guidelines can help you deal with the next Oscar-worthy performance your child decides to put on.
Tactics for Dealing with Temper Tantrums
- Don’t Ignore: Many parents believe the old adage that if you ignore a child’s meltdown, they’ll eventually give up – but this isn’t so. Children are likely feeling helpless when they throw a tantrum, so if you ignore them – which they feel is an abandonment – it might make things worse. Instead, sit with them and speak calmly to them to help them relax.
- Don’t Reason: But while you shouldn’t ignore, you can’t rely on reasoning or questions to calm things down. Toddlers don’t have the intellectual capacity to reason or properly articulate their feelings, so asking questions like “why are you upset” or “why did you do that” may just confuse and anger them more.
- Keep Calm: One thing to never do is react back at them with anger. Ultimately, your child wants to see a big reaction from you – but if you give it to them, you’re just teaching them that loud, angry behavior is ok. Instead, take a step back and remind yourself who’s the adult – then approach your child calmly and coolly.
- Give a Warning: Toddlers hate surprises, so a great way to head off tantrums before they erupt is to keep communication open about what’s going to happen and when. Try to avoid time limits, as toddlers can’t tell time and may feel ambushed either way – instead, tell them they can go down the slide five more times before it’s time to go.
- Give Them the Power: Many tantrums come from a child feeling powerless or left out, so try to involve your child in activities whenever possible. If you’re grocery shopping and your child wants something, write it down together and keep a list of the things they ask for. At the end, you can offer them one or two of the healthier choices. This keeps them engaged and prevents meltdowns.
Contact Your Frisco, TX Private Preschool
These are just a few simple tips to help you prevent temper tantrums, but if you’re looking for more strategies, we’re always happy to help out. Keep checking back to this blog for more tips and tricks on raising your child right, and if you have any questions or want to talk about more strategies for dealing with tantrums, feel free to give us a call at 469.287.0332. If you’d like to find out more about The Blue Elephant or want to enroll, you can reach out to us at our contact page or apply to join our family.
