Stop that fight between the kids or that meltdown before it starts. That sounds too good to be true for many parents. But there are some calming techniques kids can learn. FOX’s Lisa Brady reports.
You probably know what it feels like to be really angry. But can we teach our kids to calm themselves down?:
(Wittman) “You can’t stop that anger on a dime once the hormones dump.”
So Doctor, former Marine and father-of-three Andrew Wittman, says the key is awareness and time. When a big emotion is coming, giving the brain and body something else to do can help, like a breathing exercise:
(Wittman) “Start with four, hold it for four, exhale for four, making it a game; something different than this thought process of I’m just angry and the emotional reaction.”
Word games can work, too; finding letters, or for younger kids eye-spy with colors:
(Wittman) “And get them to be able to do it on their own, right, so they can start looking for those colors. You know what I calm down when I start finding all these things that are yellow or finding things that are green. Even at three-years-old they can get that.”
And if you tend to calm yourself down when you get upset instead of exploding, let them see how you do it.
Wittman also says if their behavior crosses a line, stop it right away, every time, so they know what’s not acceptable.
With FOX on Family, I’m Lisa Brady.
