Are you looking for hacks to help kids control their anger? If so, keep reading.
1. Tell the student that it is their behavior that determines whether consequences are positive or negative.
2. Get the student to make a list of consequences associated with regularly occurring behaviors (e.g., by disrupting others, I will be perceived as unmannerly; by behaving aggressively, I will cause people to avoid me.).
3. Give the student as many high interest learning activities as possible.
4. Refrain from topics, situations, etc., that may cause the student to become easily angered, annoyed, or upset (e.g., divorce, death, unemployment, alcoholism, etc.).
5. Provide a routine (schedule) that will minimize erratic or impulsive behavior that may result in negative consequences.
6. Teach the student techniques to monitor and maintain understanding of their stress and frustration levels (e.g., for instant control: stop, count to 10 using slow deep breaths and try to relax. If needed, remove him/herself from the situation.).
7. Make sure the student does not become involved in overstimulating learning activities that cause them to become angry, annoyed, or upset.
8. Do not place an emphasis on perfection. If the student feels they must live up to your expectations and cannot do so, they may become angry, annoyed, or upset.
9. Closely supervise the student to monitor their behavior at all times.
10. Teach the student to verbalize their feelings before losing self-control (e.g., “The work is hard.” “Please leave me alone; you ‘re making me angry.”).
11. Separate the student from the peer who stimulates their unacceptable behavior.
12. Get the student to list the pros and cons of an action. Urge the student to ascertain whether the pros outweigh the cons before they take action.
13. Get the student to list five attributes of a patient and respectful person. Get the student to select one of those attributes to work on each week for five weeks.
14. Provide instructions in a compassionate rather than a menacing manner (e.g., “Please finish your math assignment before going to lunch,” rather than, “You had better finish your math or else!”).
15. Give the student a selection of learning activities that can be performed if they become angry, annoyed, or upset.
16. Praise the student for demonstrating self-control based on the duration of time the student can be successful. As the student shows increased self-control, slowly increase the duration of time required for reinforcement.
17. Praise the student for demonstrating self-control in those situations in which they are likely to become angry, annoyed, or upset: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., classroom privileges, passing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).
18. Reward the student (e.g., cafeteria, gym, hallway, etc.) for keeping self-control in a particular situation.
19. Get the student to find the situations in which they are most easily frustrated. After they have identified these situations, have them think of ways to minimize their occurrences.
20. Let the student attempt something new in private before doing so in front of others.
21. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
22. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
23. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.
24. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.
