*Did you notice the star in this title? We’ve added an asterisk to the word “tantrum” because that’s the word we often use to describe big sudden bursts of anger and frustration, but it’s not the most helpful word.
Instead of thinking of it as “throwing a tantrum”, see this as a sign that your child can’t manage their emotions and needs your support.
Your child feels overwhelmed by these big emotions. This is called dysregulation. They might scream and shout, roll on the floor, kick out, or throw and push things over. It’s common to see this among young children, often starting at around 18 months and usually becoming less frequent by the age of 4.
Your child feels dysregulated because they can’t say what they want, feel, or need yet. Often, there’s a physical reason that heightens these emotions. They may be tired, hungry, thirsty, bored, or uncomfortable in some way. Often, you’ll see these behaviours just before a meal or in the run up to bedtime.
There might also be other reasons, such as:
Rather than focusing on the behaviour and how to stop it, understanding why your child is feeling this way can help you support them through it.
Instead of thinking of these big behaviours as attention-seeking, we can reframe it as
To view this content, you must be part of a school which has access to My Family Coach.
