5 Tips to Help Your Kids with Challenging Behavior

When your child is acting out and presenting with challenging behaviours, it is really important that you do everything you can to help them work through their issues and come out of the other side a happier, calmer child.

That being the case, below you will find some tips that will help you to help your child with challenging behaviour:

1. Try to understand their behaviour

The first step to helping your child with challenging behaviour is to do what you can to try and understand why they are doing the things they are doing. Every child’s behaviour has an underlying cause, whether it’s a reaction to their environment or an expression of an unmet need. So, if you want to manage their behaviour effectively, you need to get to the bottom of what it is that triggers it in the first place.

2. Consistency and routine

Children are more likely to exhibit challenging behaviours when they do not have enough certainty in their lives, as this can make them anxious, and when they are anxious challenging behaviours are far more likely to rear their head. Consistency is comforting for children. Establishing regular routines for meals, sleep, play, and learning can reduce feelings of insecurity and anxiety, which should help your child to better moderate their behaviour.

3. Explore professional diagnoses

Often, when a child exhibits challenging behaviour, it is not simply because they are naughty. What may seem like a badly behaved child could be a child with ADHD, or autism, for example, By exploring a diagnosis, and enrolling them in ABA therapy ( https://www.acceltherapies.com/aba-therapy-irvine-ca) or having them complete a round of CBT with a trained therapist, for example, you could see a vast improvement in theory behaviour because they will finally be understood and you will be better able to meet their needs.

4. Promote positive behaviour

Positive reinforcement can be a powerful tool. So, it’s never a bad idea, as a parent, to recognize and reward good behaviour to encourage its repetition. Rewards don’t necessarily need to be material goods. Verbal praise, an extra story at bedtime, or a favourite activity can serve just as well, and it sure beats the stick approach of punishment, which can often make children’s behaviour become even worse as they act out against it.

5. Patience and understanding

Above all, dealing with challenging behaviour requires a deep well of patience and understanding. Every child is unique, and their progression toward positive behaviour may take time. It’s crucial to celebrate small victories along the way and keep reminding yourself that your child is not simply a bad child, but a child who is going through some tough emotion and acting out in the only way they know how. Your love and support is what is most needed to get them through.

As you can see, helping your child with challenging behaviour can be tough but there are lots of tips and tricks you can employ to make it as simple and effective as possible and show your child you care at the same time.

Pin for later:

Josie Smith