Is your child hyperactive? Almost every other mother would respond in affirmative.
Kids are always adventurous and full of energy, which keeps them on their toes throughout the day. I too am blessed with an active child who keeps running, bouncing, jumping, wiggling and making all sorts of noises throughout the day. As a result, I often suffer from loss of stamina and energy for a major part of the day. However, what I also know is that my child wants me to experience the same level of enthusiasm as he feels while engaging in his favorite activities and pastimes.
There are times when as a parent, we become selfish and tend to overlook our child’s happiness and desires. Remember, babies are usually very active and keen on exploring new things and places. As parents, we simply need to find out ways to channelize their energy so that they can continue to grow and learn new things, while we get to enjoy some rest.
Below are some of the tips that have helped me in channelizing my child’s energy in the right direction.
Engage your Child: Engage your little tyke in purposeful activities like sports, dance, or other exciting activities. You can help your kid in exploring his/her creative side by introducing him to painting, drawing, or coloring. Remember, your participation will make encourage him to do better. You can also get your child a Flintobox (or a similar product/toy) to keep him/her engaged in a meaningful way. Also, focus on play based activities as that’ll help you in boosting their memory skills and concentration.
Free Active Time: Give your super active child enough free playing time. This is the time when they can run without around freely and engage in activities that they’re truly fond of. Sometimes it’s best to leave kids to themselves so that they can do their crazy stuff without any disturbance. Try to give them more of outdoor free time but if you don’t have that option then indoor free time could also be a good option.
Blow Bubbles: Children love to play with bubbles and can chase them for hours. Research shows that playing with bubbles can help a child in developing adequate gross motor skills. Every child enjoys playing with bubble you can help them in enjoying even more by adding your own creative touch to this fun activity.
Be specific: Make sure you use simple and direct sentences, instead of long and incomprehensible one while speaking to your child. Also, don’t keep giving them directions like “no running” or “don’t do that”. Instead ask your child to “walk slowly” and always be polite to them.
Talk to your Kid: Apart from activities, it’s important to engage in conversations too. At times kids have trouble in dealing with their feelings. They really don’t know how to show their anger, happiness, sadness or any other emotion. As a result, they often end up hurting others or themselves. However, it’s crucial that you teach your child that hurting others is unacceptable and improper behavior can result in negative consequences. It’s important to speak to your child and teach them the difference between good and bad.
Relaxing is Important to: Minimize the screen time and take them outdoors amidst greenery and fresh air. Alternatively, you can consider playing music or even enjoy a good dance with them. Most importantly, be patient with them and remember at the end of the day they’re simply kids.
Set realistic expectations: Accept the fact that your child cannot be sitting or standing still for too long. Hence, there’s no point in taking him/her to a place where they cannot run around or touch as well as explore things. Taking him to a museum or the kitchenware section of a departmental store would be sheer torture for both of you. Remember, if things aren’t interesting for kids then they won’t keep waiting patiently for too long.
Conclusion
To conclude, I just have one question to ask all you parents out there? What are your little ones demanding from you? Is it your love and time? If yes, then as parents, we need to work towards building a strong relationship with them. We must also identify different activities that can help them in making the best possible use of their energy. Lastly, keep reminding yourself that your kid is amazing and deserves all your attention and love.
-Neha Sethi Goel
