Children need Emotional Coping Strategies too
Junior Colleges • May 10, 2021
As adults, we often feel our problems are bigger just because we are. But children struggle with self-control just as much as we do, sometimes more. This can result in unpredictable or even explosive reactions to everyday situations. To manage these feelings, they need to use coping and calming strategies. These need to be taught so that over time, children can learn to implement these strategies for themselves.
One of the most important coping strategies to teach kids is to name their feelings. Strong emotions can be scary for kids and fuel strong reactions. But when kids can talk about how they’re feeling and what’s causing it, their emotions can feel more manageable.
Keep in mind that your behaviour affects how kids cope, too. Kids need to know that you understand what they’re going through. Responding to kids with empathy takes practice. But it can make a big difference in what kids hear and feel, and how willing they are to keep working on things that are hard.
Emotion-focused skills involve doing things that help your child feel better. They also involve doing something that offers a temporary distraction so they can return to the issue when they're feeling more level-headed.
The following are some healthy emotion-focused coping skills for kids.
Label feelings -
just being able to verbalise how they are feeling can really help
Breathing exercises -
slow deep breaths can help children relax their minds and bodies
Physical exercise -
strength-building and aerobic exercises can help get rid of excess energy when children are nervous or anxious
Make art -
channeling their emotional stress into painting, sculpting or making collages can help focus a child's energy into something they actually enjoy doing
Focus on the problem -
talking to your child about the situation will often reveal solutions you never thought of, or, even better yet your child could come up with solutions for themselves
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