Big Emotions

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Whining

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There are few behaviors that are more frustrating to parents than whining. It’s a quick and easy way to get a parent’s full attention. Children whine to ask for help when they feel overwhelmed by emotions or do not have the skills to complete a task. Your child will continue to whine until you teach them a new skill.  #fitandhealthykids

Following Directions

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Do you ever get the feeling your children are not listening to you and it becomes upsetting?  Children may not follow directions because they didn’t hear you or were distracted, or you gave too many directions at one time, or you made a suggestion instead of a direction. Chances that your child will listen and successfully follow your directions increase when you make sure that your direction is clearly stated.  #fitandhealtykids

Hitting And Pushing

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Like many parents and caregivers, you may have found yourself in a situation where your child continues to hit and push you or other children. Aggressive behavior, like hitting or pushing, happens when a child does not know how to handle strong emotions.   #fitandhealthykids 

Meltdown

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It is in escalated moments that parents often find themselves trying to teach rules or give long explanations. Unfortunately, your child usually does not even hear your words let alone learn the rules when they are having a meltdown. We can use the many calm and happy moments in your day to intentionally teach expectations, rules and skills that will help our child to be successful and reduce challenging behavior. #fitandhealthykids

Biting

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Children might engage in negative behavior, like biting, to let you know how they feel when they do not have the skills to express themselves. It’s a common behavior that should be addressed immediately. Parents can watch and learn when their child is likely to bite.  #fitandhealthykids

Fear

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Children and adults experience the world differently. It is common for children to be afraid of things that don’t make sense to their parents. It is good for children to have a healthy sense of caution, but when a child has too much fear it can interfere with healthy development. When you teach your child to recognize and label fear, it helps them to better manage their emotions and handle life’s challenges.  #fitandhealthykids

Understanding

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Parents may become frustrated, especially when it seems like it should be easy for our child to figure out on her own. The more familiar you are with how your child reacts to everyday situations, the easier it is for you to teach him appropriate ways to deal with emotional challenges. As parents it can be fun and rewarding to figure out what our child is thinking and why. Then we can guide our children through their challenging behavior.    #fitandhealthykids

Disappointing

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Disappointment is a normal, but difficult, part of growing up. When you allow your child to feel, experience, and learn from little disappointments at an early age, you help her to create the skills she will need to successfully handle the bigger disappointments she will experience later in childhood and as an adult. #fitandhealthykids

Anger

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You can teach your child that anger is a natural, healthy emotion and like other emotions, anger needs to be expressed appropriately. As a parent, you might find that calming your angry child can be one of the biggest challenges of parenting. There are many things that make children angry, and children feel anger in different ways — just as adults do.    #fitandhealthykids

Behavior Stories

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You can use storybooks to teach your child expectations or new skills before she is expected to use them. Children love to listen to stories. Not only are stories used to entertain children, they can also be used as tools to teach new skills and expectations. Many parents read books to teach their children the alphabet or numbers, but stories can also be used to teach social skills, clear behavior expectations, reinforce routines, and prepare for new experiences. #fitandhealthykids

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