By Michele Ballard

Children often resort to unwanted behavior due to various reasons: they feel misunderstood, frustrated with their inadequate communication skills, lack in attention, just plain tired or hungry or more seriously, stems from a behavior disorder. We have compiled some activities suggested by experts that may help parents handle their child's disorder effectively:

- Control destructive behavior by giving the child something that would make his hands busy: toy building blocks, clay, soft stuffed toys.

- Keep his mind busy too. Engage him in decision-making activities: does he want to wear shoes or sandals? Does he prefer juice or water?

- Conversely, give his body and mind time a breather. Try to implement a regular quiet time activity every day: turn off the TV, and go to the garden, or stare out the window or lie on the bed with him for some daydreaming.

- Help control your child's behavior disorder by providing alternatives. Re-route his energies by giving him chalks or crayons to draw on the sidewalk or a big piece of paper.

- Implement rational consequences for problem behavior. Some parents withdraw privileges, i.e., TV time, or playing outside, if the child persists in behaving disruptively despite repeated reminders and warnings. These strategies and activities aimed to help control your child's behavior disorder must be must be implemented slowly but surely. Be firm yet kind, consistent and patient.

- In the same way, be generous with your praises if you see good behavior. Specify and explain what you like about it so that he sees it as an example of how he should behave.

- Activities such as interactive storytelling sessions help him understand himself and his world further, in his own language and level.

These activities that may help control a child behavior problem are just supplementary to professional help, especially when temper tantrums become the norm and when aggressiveness is already harmful to your child and the people around him.

parentingteens.com

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