10 Games That Help Kids Manage Their Anger

A small child’s emotions, like an adult’s, can reach boiling point, giving free rein to anger and frustration. At those times, parents should help their children manage their anger. But how?

Why is anger so hard to control?

We cannot deny that society is increasingly in favor of not repressing our emotions, but allowing our frustrations to be released freely. As a result, we have less and less self-control and self-discipline.

As we know, children learn by observing the behavior of the people around them, especially their own family members. That’s why it’s especially important to control our own anger as a means of controlling our children’s anger. This sets a good example for them.

If we don’t start doing this work with our kids, experts say we won’t feel ashamed just when they have temper tantrums in public or in our home. The consequences will be much worse than that. We will hinder certain changes in their neurons, which are responsible for developing a solid and mature character in the future.

Learn to control your anger through game

Through games, we get much further with our little ones than we think. Games can be a healthy and enjoyable way to start refining our children’s personalities and emotions.

We can prepare and re-enact scenes with our children so that we can show what can happen at school when a classmate disturbs them or when things don’t go the way they want. How will they react? Will they be able to control their anger? By asking your children how they would react in those moments, we as parents can get an idea of ​​how they are progressing.

10 ways to help with self-control

Good example

The first ‘tool’ you can give your child, and the most important one, is one that we have already mentioned above: the good example of the parents. Our bodies have been shown to contain “mirror neurons”. The function of these neurons is to imitate what is happening around us. For example, if we are the first to respond in a calm manner. Our children will then be grateful and they will respond in the same way.

Make your own anti-stress toys

Your child can make something of her own to manage her anger, such as an anti-stress squeeze ball. For example, place one balloon inside another and then fill it with rice. She can even personalize it by writing her name on it.

Provide options

Together with your child, put together a series of options to manage her anger. For example, a board with different things she can choose to do if she is able to control her emotions.

Water and sand

Studies show that touching water or sand can be relaxing when a child is angry. Therefore, we can prepare a container of water for our child to put her hands in it and make circles or shapes to help her relax.

Traffic light

Create an image with keywords and place it in her room in plain sight. For example, you can make a traffic light, where each color relates to a behavior. Red: Stop and think before you act. Yellow: Be careful and think about the consequences. Green: go ahead and behave properly.

Time-out

Clear an area in your house where your child can spend a few minutes to calm down. This could be her bedroom or a place that has been specially set up for her to relax.

Blow bubbles

Blow bubbles into the air. The purpose of this method, or game, is to help your child control her breathing and thereby control her anger.

Music

Listen to relaxing music. This will help put your child in a good mood.

Control breathing

By inflating and deflating her belly, your child will gain control over her breathing, which will help her relax again.

To read aloud

Read stories and children’s books where your child can identify with the main character. This will help your child learn to spot when they have shown a good or a bad behavior.