Tips To Deal With Aggressive 4-Year Olds

Mom said that I was a feisty little girl when I was still four. Despite this, I never hit anyone nor hurt other children. I always use words to express my feelings or settle disagreements. However, not all children learn to talk or express themselves at an early age. Some children respond by hitting, biting, or kicking. I know that mothers with aggressive children get frustrated and humiliated because of this kind of behavior. The good news is that you can still do something to correct it. Here’s what you need to do.

• Immediately take him (or her) away as soon as he exhibits aggressive behavior. Put him in his time-out zone and let him spend 4 minutes in that zone. Set a timer or an alarm clock so that your child knows if his time is up. The purpose of time-out is to remove him from the attention he gets from the negative behavior. However, this will only work if you give your child enough attention.

• Be consistent in dealing with your kid. Don’t yell at him or get mad. Relax. Breathe in, breathe out.

• Talk to your child as soon as he finishes his time-out. Let him explain why he punched the other kid at the playground. Inquire about what he felt during and after he exhibited the behavior. Don’t interrupt and listen to his explanation. This exercise will teach him to use words to explain himself and express his feelings.

• Let him put himself in the other kid’s shoes. Ask him what he will feel if the same thing was done to him. For sure, he will realize that what he did was wrong.

• Suggest other means for him to deal with the situation. For example, you can tell him to get another toy if a child snags his toy. Or better yet, you can let him tell the other kid that he will let him borrow it after he is done playing with it. Let him know that aggressive behavior is not the answer to everything.

• Praise your child if he has done a great job in controlling his anger or negative behavior. Take away his privileges if he continues his aggressive behavior. This will help him learn that aggressive behavior is bad and will lead to loss of privileges.

• Limit your child’s TV time. If this is impossible to do, you can sit with him while he watches TV shows. Make sure that he is not watching any shows related to violence or anger.

• A child usually learns through example. Be a good model to your child. Show him that you can deal with things without aggression.

• Ask your pediatrician about his behavior. Your doctor can conduct studies and tests that will determine if your child has a condition. He can also decide if your child needs professional help from a psychologist.

These techniques have worked on my cousin. Try them on your kids too. Good luck!

Author’s bio: 

 Marcy Gray likes sharing her tips and tricks, and opinions through writing. In addition, she likes to write about various topics such as Baby Shower Decoration Ideas and Removing Skin Tags Yourself.