SCHOOL FOR PARENTS: Tips to help my child control impulsivity.
The impulsivity that children with special problems often face can cause real stress in their parents.
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Children do not see the moment and can even cause an explosion of screams and cries at the slightest deviation or even respond with an "involuntary" blow to another child.
Impulsivity is a common problem in young children.
What is impulsivity?
In particular, impulsivity is the lack of self-control that causes children to react quickly, that prevents them from thinking before acting and that often makes them react strongly when faced with a situation or negative emotions.
How does this manifest?
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It is not always easy to confirm or confirm that a person faces a real problem of impulsivity. Very often, at an early age, we will talk mainly about the lack of maturity, the lack of development of self-control, which causes children to act without thinking.
A child who spontaneously hits another child, a child who wakes up before listening to group instructions and does not follow the rules may be associated with a lack of self-control. Children want to do or have something and act immediately as soon as they think.
Here are several behaviors that can appear in an impulsive child.
- talk simultaneously with the teacher;
- accept another child's turn;
- get up quickly after class, even before the instruction is completed;
- explodes with anger when faced with failure;
- Hit another friend when he appears;
- Make mistakes caused by lack of attention instead of disability.
From the beginning, we consider impulsivity, emphasizing the lack of normal self-control in a child. In silence, self-control develops, and the so-called impulsive behavior decreases in frequency and intensity.
- After 1 year, we can observe the beginning of a self-assessment for a short (but real) ability to wait.
- At 2-3 years of age, you can observe the ability to withstand disappointment without exploding anger.
- At 4-5 years, you can observe the ability to calm down and the ability to be flexible. Several factors, including the child's temperament, can play an important role in relation to impulsivity. Over time, you can determine if there is a problem with impulsivity.
Some problems, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, may be associated with "impulsivity."
How to help a child control his impulsivity?
Place tools in the children's chest to help them control their impulsivity. Regardless of whether impulsivity is of an "evolutionary" or truly problematic nature, its role in the preschool period is to arm the little ones.
Strengthen good behavior.
Impulsive children can exhibit various negative behaviors day after day. It may seem that he is constantly "in his field." Therefore, it is important to set aside time to improve positive behavior to make it look bigger.
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1.- Teach children to name their emotions and their associated signals. The handling of emotions directly affects impulsivity.
2.- Teach children to name their emotions and find ways to control them. All emotions are healthy. Too often, these are the means used by children to translate their emotions at work.
3.- When a child faces a difficult situation, take the time to review it with him, to help him identify different solutions to those used. In silence, children will register more acceptable solutions. This will help them avoid explosive solutions.
4.- Remember the warning signs of a possible crisis and try to turn everything off before the child explodes.
Once again, patience is essential and the small step technique is preferred. In silence, the more consistency is applied, the more you will see an improvement.