Children are often very active, impulsive and absent-minded, but they are not hyperactive. Not all parents are able to distinguish between the characteristics of children’s character and temperament and the syndrome of hyperactivity. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a specialist after a comprehensive examination. If you suspect something, don’t give diagnoses to your child by yourself. The only right solution is to visit a doctor. The second is to be patient. The upbringing of a hyperactive child is difficult, but not impossible. We prepared some tips for you which will help you handle a hyperactive child!
Hyperactive child: what to do and what to expect?
- Suppose the examination confirms your suspicions and your child really has hyperactivity disorder. How to raise a hyperactive child? The main point is not to panic.
In order to develop skills and abilities in hyperactive children, you will need a special parenting approach:
- Try to mitigate any aggression. Impulsiveness and pugnaciousness are unintentional in these children. Explain to your child that aggressive actions are destructive and harmful and that they need to be contained. Tell your child that apologising for the harm is the first step. Aggressive behaviour should be corrected as soon as you notice it in order to protect the child from mutual resentment among peers and psychological trauma due to fights, arguments or insults.
- Don’t take your child’s hyperactivity as your fault. There can be a lot of reasons for hyperactive behaviour, and almost all of them do not depend on the parents, and therefore, instead of tormenting with guilt, it is better to start looking for a solution to the problem that has arisen.
- Don’t use labels and counteract them in the community. The label “bad behaviour”, followed by “bad child”, can provoke a child to even greater misconduct, aggression and inappropriate behaviour. Labels exacerbate antisocial behaviour and negate all parenting goals: to shape a personality who can be happy in school, work and personal life.
- A hyperactive child can be calmer and more balanced by close communication with parents. An affectionate and understanding approach to the child is able to restrain his irascibility and help to focus on any activity. This can be time spent alone with the child, reading fairy tales, talking, listening to quiet and calm music together, affectionate hugs and constant eye contact.
- Hyperactive children almost always need qualified help from a specialist in upbringing or a psychologist. These specialists will help the child get rid of negativity and low self-esteem that has arisen due to rejection in kindergarten or school. Often the child does everything out of spite only because he does not find understanding from his close environment, and therefore it does not bother the parents to visit a psychologist in order to learn how to form an alternative form of behaviour to punishment in response to the child’s aggression, impulsivity and disobedience.
- The environment in which they find themselves is very important for hyperactive children. Socialisation and communication with peers are very important, but you need to make sure that you choose the right child care. Hyperactive children require a lot of support and assistance from qualified and loving adults – involve the efforts of the entire interested group of people: educators, teachers, psychologists.
- You can also make a list of places and situations in which the child felt comfortable and calm. Pay attention to how peers are influencing his behaviour. After analysing, try to arrange his environment and lifestyle according to this list.
How to use the child’s excess energy constructively?
Aimless movements, anxiety, constant bustle of children with hyperactivity force their parents to constantly and tirelessly look after them. The main parental task is to use the child’s excess energy in a constructive way.
Recommendations for dealing with increased motor skills of hyperactive child:
-You should teach your child to completely relax, for example with calm music, breathing exercises, or meditation.
-Teach your child to respect the privacy of people around them.
-Arrange your home so that the child feels comfortable in it. Keep in mind that the house is unlikely to ever be in perfect order, do not expect too much from a hyperactive child.
-Teach your child to listen carefully and not interrupt.
-Maintain the consistency of parenting methods. Connivance can ruin the results of years of implementation of the concept.
What shouldn’t be done when raising hyperactive children?
There are several “golden” rules that tell parents what to avoid and what absolutely must not be done when raising hyperactive children:
-Don’t use the word “no” when talking to your child. Try to build phrases so that they do not contain prohibitions through negation. For example, you can use “walk on this path next to me” instead of using “don’t walk on the lawn”. Replace “don’t do it”, with “let’s do it right together”.
-Don’t punish them. Punishments only anger the hyperactive child, he is not able to understand why he was punished.
-Forget about negativity and scandals. This concerns the attitude towards the child, towards oneself and towards the situation.
-Do not forget about the safety of a hyperactive child, because for him getting bruises, cuts or bruises is a trifling matter.
-Do not try to correct mistakes while diligently completing the task, this can knock the child’s enthusiasm away.
-Do not make excessive demands on the child.
-Don’t forget to tell your child that you love them as often as you can.
Conclusion
Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all guide to teaching and raising hyperactive children. Any technique is individual and should be revised in the absence of a child’s reaction.
It is extremely difficult to raise a hyperactive child, perhaps at times, you will feel that it is them who is controlling you, and not you. But always remember: everything can become easy with the right approach. Develop, comprehend non-standard methods of upbringing and one day you will understand that not only do you make your child better, but they also make you a better version of yourself.
