Last week, we laid out the definition of emotion regulation and provided context for what it looks like across the different stages of childhood. Now that you know why it is important that kids of all ages develop these skills, this week we dive into some practical ways to help foster emotion regulation.
Arguments and disagreements among siblings are a normal experience that occasionally happen in all homes. But what if the fighting becomes an every day occurrence? Children experience stress and frustration within sibling relationships and often do not have the necessary skills to deal with the situation. Here are a few things you can do as a parent to help them.
Help your kids identify the situations that they find the most frustrating. Start by observing and then pointing out patterns in their behaviors and responses. Teach them that walking away from a situation where the other sibling is starting to get upset can often interrupt the argument before it erupts. You can show your children how to identify the signs of anger in each other. For example, “How does your sister look when she gets angry at you? What are the warning signs?” Your child can then use these signals to walk away, take a break, or change the subject.