How To Understand Children’s Impulsive Behavior
Most children do or say things without thinking about the consequences of their actions. Impulsive kids are mistakenly perceived as rude, careless, or rude. Next, we talk about impulsive behavior in children and how we can help our children to control themselves properly.
Children sometimes find it very difficult to put a brake on their mind, they interrupt while you are talking to someone, they take things without asking permission, they can endanger their physical integrity, for example, crossing without looking behind a ball, etc. . Impulsive children, on many occasions, act before they can avoid it. So, parents we wonder if he is immature, if he is a reckless child or why he acts like that.
How is the impulsive behavior of children?
When a child is impulsive, from time to time, we can think that it is something common in children, but the perception changes if, frequently, we see impulsive behaviors in our children, because there we do see that they may have difficulty controlling themselves.
Not all children have the same impulsive behaviors ; These manifest differently in each child and, furthermore, they can change as they grow older. Some of the behaviors that we can observe are
- They take things from other people.
- They are not able to wait their turn in conversations or in games.
- They do inappropriate things to get attention.
- They find it difficult to follow rules consistently.
- They can be aggressive with other children ; they bite, kick or hit them.
- They want to always be the first.
- They do not understand that their words and behaviors can affect other people.
- They have excessive reactions to mistakes, criticism and frustrations.
- They do not understand that their actions have consequences.
Children’s impulsive behaviors can make them look younger than their age. So, in a 10-year-old you may observe behaviors of a 6-year-old child, since his self-control has not matured.
What can be the cause of impulsive behavior in children?
The reasons why a child is impulsive can be several. We are going to see some to which this impulsiveness may be due.
Immaturity
Young children behave this way because they mature later than other children their age, and this makes their development in the ability to stop and think before acting later.
Stress, frustration, and lack of sleep
If children have school or family problems, impulsivity can be a way to release that tension. We must not forget that children do not know how to express their emotions as we adults do and, therefore, they release that tension with impulsive behaviors.
Children with ADHD, one of the causes of impulsive behavior
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have problems, especially with controlling some intense emotions, such as anger. This disorder can make impulsive behaviors appear by not having self-control over it because they are not able to regulate their emotions.
Phobias, mood disorders
Some mood disorders can also be the reasons for impulsive behaviors in children. It is important that, regardless of the reason why our child has this type of behavior, we support him to improve and acquire greater self-confidence. This will help you feel more mature and have greater self-esteem.
What can we do to help our children if they are impulsive?
To help our children, the first thing we must do is observe how they behave at home and, thus, give us an idea of why they have such difficulty in self-control.
It is key that we find out what the reason for these impulsive behaviors may be, in order to use the right tools to address them. If the problem is frustration, a frustration log can be used to observe patterns over time and, in this way, comment on it at school and the doctor so that, together, we can solve this.
If you believe or know that the reason is because your child has ADHD, it is advisable to ask for an evaluation at school to guide him to where to direct his efforts to solve this. Even so, some strategies can be used for these behaviors regardless of the reason, such as:
- Techniques to improve self-control.
- Respond when our child is frustrated with empathy.
- Practice some skills to control impulsivity.
Children often find that their behaviors can be a problem, and it affects them. For this reason, it is important that we let them know that they are not the only ones having difficulties and that with practice they will develop better self-control. Never forget to celebrate his accomplishments as he gains control of himself.
In short, as you have already seen, impulsive behavior in children can be due to several reasons and they do not have to be the only ones. Each child is a world, unique and special; Simply by practicing self-control skills, the little one will develop it.
Parents are their guides and people of reference, so always show yourself empathically with them and celebrate each of their successes, as this will strengthen their self-esteem.
