![]() Stay calm: Modeling good behavior is easier said than done-especially when your preschooler is throwing the world’s biggest tantrum.Children learn by modeling what their parents are doing, not saying. Model good behavior: Have you heard the old saying ‘Do as I say, not as I do’? “Research shows that’s ridiculous,” said Alan Kazdin, PhD, a psychologist at Yale University and director of the Yale Parenting Center who studies childrearing strategies to reduce behavioral problems.“It won’t all sink in during one conversation, but you can lay the groundwork.” “When things are calm, find opportunities to talk about feelings and strategies for managing them,” Cole said. Don’t bother trying to have the conversation while they’re upset, however. Talk and teach: Teach your children to recognize and name their emotions.Being consistent and comforting will help you develop a secure attachment with your child. Connect: Studies show that children who have a secure, trusting relationship with their parents or caregivers have better emotion regulation as toddlers than those whose needs aren’t met by their caregivers.Point out when book or movie characters feel sad, happy, angry, or worried. Caregivers can start talking about feelings when their children are still babies. But all kids benefit from teaching about feelings. Start early: Infants who are quick to react and hard to sooth are more likely to have trouble managing emotions when they get older, said John Lochman, PhD, ABPP, a psychologist at the University of Alabama who studies programs to prevent aggression in high-risk children.Here are science-tested strategies parents and caretakers can use to teach kids these important skills: But parents, teachers, and other caregivers all play a critical role in helping children learn to manage their feelings.Ĭhildren who manage their emotions well are more likely to do well in school and get along with others. Their ability to manage negative feelings depends on genetics, their natural temperament, the environment they grow up in, and outside factors like how tired or hungry they are. “Emotion regulation calls on so many skills, including attention, planning, cognitive development, and language development,” said Pamela Cole, PhD, a psychologist at Penn State University who studies emotion regulation in early childhood.Ĭhildren develop those skills at different times, psychologists say. Learning to regulate emotions, though, is a complex process. At some point, parents expect their kids to start managing their feelings without epic meltdowns.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |