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Effective Ways To Deal With A Hyperactive Child

Dealing with a hyperactive child can be tough, especially if their behavior is chronic.

While many parents are accustomed to the odd burst of energy from a child who’s awake and had too much sugar, they may not be used to managing a child who is hyper several times a day.

If you are new to having a hyperactive child, the tips below can help.

Effective Ways To Deal With A Hyperactive Child

Channel Their Energy

Hyperactive kids have energy—a lot of it. Therefore, it’s no surprise that their energy needs to be channeled so that they’re not running around aimlessly and causing havoc.

This can involve several stages. The first might be to find an activity that allows them to vent or express their energy.

This could be an educational game for kids that keeps their mind stimulated, a creative activity, or a physical exercise.

Once they’ve released some of that pent-up energy, you may want to find other ways to help calm their minds.

Sometimes the above activities will achieve that because they’ve released stored-up energy; however, in some cases they may also need a calming-down period.

This could involve slower, more focused activities such as drawing, coloring, or reading.

Minimize Distractions

Distractions can make hyperactivity worse, especially if a child is in an active state. Kids that are hyper get distracted easily and their behavior can escalate.

This is a common trait for kids who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

If they are doing a task that requires concentration, such as homework, make sure they’re in an environment that is free from distractions, such as noise or visual stimulation.

Draw Boundaries

If your child is hyperactive often, you may find it difficult to control their behavior.

Also, hyperactive kids may find it difficult to operate in environments without many rules or limitations.

Therefore, while it may be tempting to just let your kids run loose, establish some boundaries and make it clear what is expected of them.

This will give them structure and minimize the possibility of them acting out with wild abandon.

Effective Ways To Deal With A Hyperactive Child

Stay Calm

Being around a hyperactive kid isn’t easy. If they are hyper for long periods, it can be exhausting and draining as you try to keep them focused.

However, while the frustrations may be mounting up, it’s important that you stay calm.

Lashing out at them for their behavior will only make the situation worse.

If you need to get your frustrations out, find a way to do it safely elsewhere.

Use Positive Reinforcement

Unsurprisingly, completing a task can be difficult for hyperactive children. The temptation will be to flit from one activity to the next.

Therefore, it’s important as a parent that you demonstrate the importance of completing a task.

Use positive reinforcement and give praise when they’ve done finished an activity—even if it’s as simple as baking a cake or finishing a math problem.

Positive reinforcement can also go a long way for hyperactive kids who are accustomed to being chastised for their behavior.

By seeing the positive merits of their efforts, they can better learn how to manage themselves and their actions.

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