Children get angry in my experience ‘quite a lot’ mainly through frustration and also not getting their own way. They are not great at managing their anger and therefore need some help with controlling and channelling it. Being angry shows passion and determination as well as being a natural response when we need to defend ourselves or warn others not to take advantage of us.
Anger needs to be managed in a safe way so that other people do not get emotionally and physically hurt. I have 5 ways of how children can manage their anger.
- Get them to own their emotions and their actions – they have responsibility for their anger but let them know it is okay to feel angry
- Recognise it physiologically so they know what is going to happen next and then take alternative action.
- Get them to verbalise it so the person they are with knows they are angry and can help them deal with it.
- Could they walk away and do something physical i.e take it out of something else or could they walk away and do something relaxing to calm down.
- Help them learn how to deal with confrontation.
How do you help your child with their anger? What do you advise them to do?
If you need help with your angry child you can contact Naomi at www.thekidscoach.org.uk
Naomi Richards is The Kids Coach. She provides life coaching for children who need help with any behavioural and emotional issues that they have. She provides a space for children to talk confidentially about why they are unhappy and helps them resolve their problems in an interactive, creative and supportive way. The issues Naomi helps children with are around parent separation, self-esteem, confidence, friendship, bullying, anxiety and any other home or school related problem. Naomi works face to face with children, via Skype and runs workshops during the year on a variety of subjects. She is also a media spokesperson and has appeared on radio and in local and national press. See her website for more details. 
