Helping the Easily Angered Child

We all know the type. If we don't have one among our own kids, we have no problem coming up with at least a couple who live on our block or are the children of our close friends. I'm talking about the easily-angered kid.

This is the child who seems to be set off by next to nothing, who goes from fine to furious in less time than it takes to say, "Whoa, let's stay calm."

Children who are quick to anger may be sweet and agreeable, but when the anger gets set off, they turn into raging devils with little control over their actions. Author Dr. Michelle Borba, on her Reality Check blog, lays out 6 Steps to Help Kids Learn Healthier Ways to Display Anger. These include:

1. Helping the child to identify anger warning signs
2. Helping him or her recognize potential anger triggers
3. Developing a feeling vocabulary for him or her
Helping to develop healthy anger management skills
4. Using time out when inappropriate anger persists
5. Creating “time in” spots to help alleviate outbursts

(See her blog where she elaborates)
Many of these are skills that a therapist would work on if the child were brought to therapy, but you don't need to be a professional to teach them to your child. One useful tool is using child-freindly books that deal with anger. Those help to explain the concepts relating to anger and the strategies you're suggesting, without making the whole thing into some kind of disciplinary battle. Some helpful books include: When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry..., Angry Dragon, A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger, and How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger (see below).