Anger Management for Kids

I cannot tell you how excited I was to come across this anger management lesson!

We’ve been experiencing some anger issues with our girls and this was an answer to prayer!

I printed it all out and laminated the posters. We took three days to go over the posters and fill in the booklets. I went over it with all the children. Elizabeth should be too old at almost 12, but she needs it too! Alex is young at 2.5, but he understood a lot of it!

I used a dry erase board to write our strategies on for the little girls to copy. We did the lessons together on the floor so we could all feel equal and the girls used their lap desks. We also needed to stay close to Alex and help him with his activities. It worked out beautifully.

We first discussed finding healthy outlets for our anger.

Rather than using angry eyes or cutting (more often in tone) words. Honestly, these are our worst issues. I think that’s pretty good. We’ve gotten beyond the throwing and hitting and total out of control stuff for the most part. There is the occasional time that Alex and Katie really get into it, but it’s getting rarer.

Katie and Tori loved filling in the booklets and coloring the birds. Each bird represents some aspect of anger or a management tool. I love it!

We suggested some cool down methods.

She can draw a picture when she is really angry or she can rip up paper that we can designate for that purpose. Elizabeth had anger issues at this age too and she offered advice on how she overcame it. She still gets angry, but she’s so much better now that she’s older. Tori is usually so sweet, but she often irritates Katie, so it’s good she realizes that she can be a trigger.

Liz and Tori fill in their booklets and color their birds. We love visuals.

We really focused on peacemaking.

I used our Child Training Bible to go through the anger and quarreling sections and we learned that it’s ok to feel anger, but never to sin in anger. We talked about how anger just upsets the whole family if it’s not handled maturely.

Tori and Katie loved hearing the story of Jesus being angry and overturning the tables in the temple. They have been helping each other when they see the anger danger signs. They know their anger triggers and are learning how to deal with them without losing self-control.

We discussed cooling down.

Like how we can put ourselves in a time out by isolating ourselves from others if we can’t control our anger. We can go to our room or “bird’s nest” to calm down. If they need the “eagle” they know to get me (Mom) to help out.

We learned about forgiveness.

I often suggest to Katie that she go to her room to collect herself. This is not a punishment but a time to cool down and pray. She is learning and getting better at self-control. They have always been taught to pray to Jesus to help them forgive. They are so good at forgiving after calming down. It’s always the heat of the moment that they just get irritated with each other.

Katie has the more difficult time being the youngest girl and the little brother knows how to push her buttons and she reacts and gets very upset. She has been so much better these last few days since we went through this training.

All the kids are noticing anger danger signs and reminding each other not to use angry eyes or cutting words and to go to a bird’s nest if they need to cool down. It’s great to have these visuals for the kids to understand and associate with a much-loved game!

These printables helped us work through our feelings of anger!

Resources:

• What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger (What-to-Do Guides for Kids Series) by Dawn Huebner
• A Little SPOT of Anger: A Story About Managing BIG Emotions (Inspire to Create A Better You!) by Diane Alber
• Anger Management Workbook for Kids: 50 Fun Activities to Help Children Stay Calm and Make Better Choices When They Feel Mad (Health and Wellness Workbooks for Kids) by Samantha Snowden, MA
• Seeds and Trees: A children’s book about the power of words by Brandon Walden
• When I Am Angry: Kids Books about Anger by Gordon Michael
• I Feel Angry: Children’s picture book about anger management for kids age 3-5 by Aleks Harrison