Aggression in children can be attributed to several reasons where sometimes staying away from home for longer durations triggers anguish and anxiety in them, while at other times different factors such as academic stress, personal troubles, unhealthy family environment and so on and so forth may cause their mental calmness to deteriorate. Despite all these factors, there are certain convenient ways through which elders can teach their children to maintain self-calm and mental composure.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Vijay Kumar Agarwal, Founder and CEO at Makoons Play School, suggested tips for elders to teach aggressive kids to maintain self-calm and mental composure -

1. Establishing Friendship With Them: It is essential for teachers as well as parents to establish a bond of friendship with children. This eliminates hesitation from a child’s mind, brings them nearer to their elders, makes them more comfortable in sharing their troubles, and simultaneously fosters a positively frank relationship between them.
2. Teaching Them The Way To Act Rightly: Teachers and parents must educate children about how they should perceive an action, and what should be their proper response to it. They must also educate them that petty issues of day to day life need not always be dealt with aggression, or a radical mindset.
3. Keeping Them Motivated And Encouraged: Sometimes children develop an attitude of anger and disgust for their elders when they don’t receive their due share of encouragement for their little accomplishments. Parents and teachers, therefore, must always encourage children for their little endeavours so that they may continue to reach for the stars.
4. Acquainting Them With Meditation: Religious resort to meditation has proven to be instrumental in restating mental peace, promoting self-calm, liberating the mind from stress, and overall improving mental health and wellbeing. Hence, children too should be introduced to these meditative practices for the numerous benefits which they offer.

By employing these methods in everyday life, aggression in children can effectively be controlled however, teachers and parents must come forward to help them in doing so. Bringing his expertise to the same, Krishan Sharma, Vice President - Marketing and Support at Academic Heights Public School, said, “Nowadays even young children are showing signs of aggression and unregulated emotions. Studies have shown time and again that children are at higher risk of not being able to regulate their physical and mental aggression when their mothers had antisocial tendencies while growing up. Children are the nation's future and to become valuable citizens, they must learn to regulate their aggression in their core development age.” He recommended the following tips to teach kids to self-calm and the right ways to react -

1. Identifying Triggers:

• When teaching small children about regulating their emotions that might be harmful, it is necessary to identify the triggers that caused them to behave aggressively in the first place.
• The common triggers that cause aggressive behavior in children are overwhelming feelings of frustration, fatigue, hunger, and envy.

2. Teaching Self-Calm Techniques:

• It is important to teach kids self-calm techniques so that they are not dependent on anyone else to calm their triggers.
• Techniques like deep breathing, Counting to 10, visualizing a peaceful space, positive affirmations, and journaling their thoughts can help children manage their aggression more mindfully.

3. Encouraging Open Communication:

• Kids need to have an environment where they can share their thoughts and feelings without judgment.
• Parents and teachers should encourage children to discuss their triggers and the solutions they have to manage their emotions.

4. Setting Limits and Consequences:

• It is important to establish clear boundaries against a kid's aggressive behaviour.
• It is important for parents to consistently enforce the boundaries.
• Parents should keep reminding the kids about the adverse consequences of their aggressive behavior.
• When kids behave positively, parents should reward them with praise to remind them that controlling their aggression leads to positive outcomes.

5. Teaching Problem-Solving Skills:

• It is important to teach kids problem-solving skills. Parents should encourage kids to brainstorm solutions whenever they are faced with challenges.
• The problem-solving skills will make kids autonomous and resilient in managing their emotions.

6. Seeking Professional Help if Needed:

• When a kid’s symptoms of severely persistent aggression do not become better with time, then parents should seek professional help.
• Professionals like pediatricians, therapists, or counselors can give specialised guidance that will help in managing the persistent aggression of the kid.

Teaching kids self-calming techniques and appropriate responses to aggression is an important part of their emotional growth. With the knowledge of self-calming skills and emotional support from parents, kids get prepared to face the challenges effectively. Patience and the right guidance are the key ingredients for a kid’s positive emotional development.

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