Weekly series: Lesson learned from little humans! 

Dear {{contact.first_name}}

Happy Monday! 

If you have a two’s classroom you have most likely come across a tantrum. Maybe it was simply that you turned off the iPad (even after warning them you were going to turn it off), or maybe you cut their sandwich horizontally rather than vertically, or maybe you told them it was time to clean up their toys or eat their lunch… whatever it is- suddenly your toddler has lost all calm and is on the floor having a massive tantrum. Sound familiar?

If you are ready to turn things around and reduce the stress and reactions, then I have you covered! One of the things I teach in my training and coaching is understanding what Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) two parts has: 1. What is age appropriate and 2. What is individually appropriate for each child.

Having tantrums is a completely normal and healthy part of toddler development, having said that it doesn’t necessarily make it easier to deal with it, but knowing and remembering that this is normal behavior will help us to keep calm in these moments. 

The problem is not our toddler but rather when we expect our toddlers to have adult levels of communication and problem-solving skills. Their brains haven’t mastered this skill yet! 

So how do we deal with it? Here are a few quick tips you can try next time you’re dealing with a face down, screaming, red in the face angry, kicking child because something didn’t go their way. 

1.     Download your calm, don’t upload their stress! When our storm meets their storm, the storm only gets bigger. When our calm meets their storm, their storm can get smaller.

2.     Give warnings before making changes or transitions. “In 5 minutes, we are going to start cleaning up our toys.” “When the show finishes, I’m going to turn off the tv.”

3.     Validate and acknowledge the emotions/ feelings displayed their feelings but continue to hold the boundary. “I can see you’re frustrated and upset right now because your turn is over, and the next friend is waiting. Would you like to play with blocks or do a puzzle now?”

4.     When they have calmed down, have a reflective chat with them. “You got really upset earlier. Can you tell me what happened? How did it make you feel? What should we do next time so that you don’t get so upset?”

5.     Remember, being two is fine. (As is, 3,4,5 …years old) Two is still so new to the world and they can’t be expected to behave like an adult, especially as their brain is still developing. 

Watch the full video: How to deal with toddler tantrums Here! 

P.S. In this video I referenced a book to help with the tantrums and to learn coping skills called “Stompysaurus” If you are looking for children’s books to help children learn about self-regulation and emotions, I have made it super easy, all the books are sorted by topics! Click on this link to order them from Amazon.

Until Next Time!