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Quote of the Week
"When I feel angry, I want to say something mean, or yell, or hit. But feeling like I want to is not the same as doing it. Feeling can't hurt anyone or get me into trouble, but doing can." (Bunny from picture book) - Cornelia Maude Spelman, When I Feel Angry
Anger Management Tips for Children
Your 7-year-old lost his lunch money at school?and now his playdate canceled. So he slams his Lego tower against the wall, sending bricks flying everywhere. Your heart stops. Does expressing anger that way mean he may become a violent adult? Um, unlikely, says Heather Shumaker, author of It's OK Not to Share. "Frustration and anger are normal emotions, and kids need a strong physical release for them," she says. But to safely redirect his feelings, have him:
- Run around the living room or largest room in your home 50 (or any arbitrary number) of times; he'll be in a contained space, the counting will distract him and he'll get pooped out.
- Go into a closed area (like the bathroom or a big closet or the basement) and yell at the top of his lungs. This gives him a safe place to vent without freaking out younger sibs (or the dog, or the neighbors).
- Karate-chop a big piece of wrapping paper. It produces a satisfying ripping noise and makes him feel powerful. Go outside and make faces at you through the window.
- Run around the house, and repeat. (After a few times, this is likely to dissolve into a giggling fit.)
- Throw dirt at a tree. He'll get messy, but he can't hurt anything.
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Reading Corner
 Title: When I Feel Angry (Way I Feel)
By: Cornelia Maude Spelman Stages: 3+
"Anger is a strong, hot feeling," the bunny-protagonist explains to us, in this book geared for three to seven year olds. Indeed, anger is one of those emotions that most of us struggle with into adulthood. When I feel Angry articulates what anger feels like, and what situations provoke it, so that children can better learn to recognize it as a feeling. It also presents some concrete suggestions for how to calm anger down and avoid violent impulses, as well as how to communicate the emotional needs that often lie at the root of anger. This book is a great tool for parents and educators working to develop emotional skills in children. - Goodreads Review
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be The Change
A 6-year-old's vision of a gift community: Watch this video together with your children and ask them what they learned from the video.
Help them to understand her idea and especially what she says at the end about how she wants it to all come straight from her heart
Ask them one thing they want to do for someone else that's straight from their heart and support them to do this
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