11 Effective Ways To Improve Your Child’s Behavior

You know how inconvenient it can be when “Mr. Grumpy Pants” visits your home and ruins the day for everyone. This can manifest itself through your kids’ crabby tones, irritability and wreak havoc on your household. According to recent CDC statistics, 1 in 6 kids aged 2-8 years in the US is diagnosed with mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders. While these aren’t one of the easiest things to deal with, here are some simple approaches to improve your child’s mood and behavior.

1. Improve kids nutrition

What your kids eat is crucial for their mental and brain health. What you feed them can influence their moods, behavior, and concentration, so you want to provide them with the best diet and encourage good eating habits. To improve your kids’ nutrition, ensure to provide them with more natural foods such as vegetables, lean meats, and fruits. Neurotransmitters, which are made up of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are used by brain cells to communicate with one another. So incorporating healthy proteins into your child’s meals will significantly enhance their mood and behavior.

2. Improved sleeping habits

You may have heard about the circadian rhythm, but are you aware of its importance for your kids’ mental and emotional wellbeing? The hormone cortisol, which controls mood, depression, and sleep stress, is influenced significantly by the body’s 24-hour natural sleep-wake cycle. And a child’s neurotransmitters and hormones can be affected when they don’t get enough sleep. Unfortunately, this causes many behavioral issues in kids. Sleep guidelines usually depend on a child’s age, yet everyone is unique, so you may want to determine which one works for your child. Consider putting your kids to bed at the same time every night, ban tech gadgets during bedtime and keep the room as dark and calm as possible. 

3. Adopt a behavior chart

You can adopt a behavior chart if your child is old enough or capable of understanding what it means. Consider this a standard chore-for-reward plan to motivate your kids to behave appropriately. Make it specific to your child’s needs and desires for more effectiveness. The chart can be useful for both parents and teachers to remind kids how they are expected to behave. It can also help correct behavioral issues such as defiance, whining, lack of attentive listening, or failing to do homework. You can use it to motivate children to work on several emphasized habits every day.

4. Limit the consumption of dyes and processed foods

A study has shown that kids who drank fruit juice that contained colorings and preservatives were more likely to lose their tempers, lack concentration, and have trouble sleeping. It is no surprise that the conventional American diet is known as the SAD diet since they mostly contain antibiotics, chemicals, and other synthetic preservatives that are noted for influencing biological processes that underpin mood and behaviors when consumed in excess. Unfortunately, processed foods have shown to be more convenient for today’s busy parents. While it can be challenging to completely stop the consumption of processed foods in the home, setting limits can give you an upper hand in managing your kids’ moods and behaviors. 

5. Find an outlet for their emotions

Sometimes, people lash out when they don’t have anywhere to put their emotions. Finding them a healthy outlet or coping mechanism is a good idea. For example, regular exercise has long been recognized for its physical benefits. Additionally, it benefits mood, focus, and behavior by allowing more oxygen and nutrient transfer to all bodily tissues, including the brain. Most parents know that spending time outside with their children is good physically and improves their emotional and mental health. Researchers have also revealed that some fun activities such as video games can strengthen a child’s cognitive skills, improve mood, and reduce anxiety to manage their behaviors. If you’re looking for indoor activities to complement their outdoor activities, you can consider platforms like Gaming Gorilla for some mood-boosting games to improve your kids’ self-esteem and confidence. 

6. Encourage reading in your kids

Reading is an amazing way to unwind and temporarily forget about the outside world. A study has shown that getting immersed in a book can reduce stress levels up to 68% after six minutes. Additionally, readers have demonstrated to be nicer and more accepting of emotions and can manage anxiety levels. For this reason, it is practical to find the best interactive books to offer the best early childhood exposure for young kids. You can involve them in compiling a playlist of relaxing audiobooks to assist them in taking a break from their thoughts. 

7. Maintain consistency in your routines and expectations

While every parent needs to try and improve their kids’ behaviors, many find it incredibly challenging to maintain consistency. For instance, it is common to see parents set rules but later fail to uphold them because they are too busy or tired. However, maintaining consistency is key for enabling your kids to predict the outcome of their actions. Young kids are more likely to spot good behaviors when they know how a parent will respond. Unfortunately, being inconsistent with your disciplines, expectations, and routines will make it challenging for your kids to internalize the knowledge, values, and experience to shape their behaviors. 

8. Keep your kids hydrated

Dehydration has been demonstrated to impair mood and performance by lowering focus/cognition and causing fatigue. Children are more susceptible to dehydration since they are more active and depend on others to help them stay hydrated. So it is essential to learn and teach your kids why they should keep hydrated before, during, and after school. Keeping children well hydrated can affect their academic performance and behaviors in class. Researchers suggest that the thirst mechanism does not kick in until water levels are much lower than required for optimal performance. Therefore, your little ones may only ask for water when they are dehydrated. For this reason, you want to ensure your kids drink water throughout the day, even if they are not thirsty.

9. Get kids to grow something

Kids learn about responsibility and patience and develop a sense of accomplishment when they grow their plants and watch them blossom. So consider providing your child with a plant pot or small space and some seeds to start their garden. Start with plants that are easier to grow and require less maintenance, for instance, sunflower or tomato. You can also consider other household plants like Philodendrons, ZZ plants, aloe vera, etc. Nurturing and caring for houseplants can be educational, constructive, and therapeutic for kids by offering them a positive way to connect with nature’s calming effects. 

10. Assist them in developing their social kids

Kids develop knowledge, values, and the required skills to relate to others when they have healthy social connections. Positive relationships with families and friends can lower anxiety, prevent depression and raise their self-esteem. A few ways to help your child develop their social connections include teaching them how to approach and deal with their daily societal challenges and inspiring them to empathize with others. You can also discuss issues about morality and the best ways to express their thoughts and reasoning.

11. Yoga for kids

It is easy to think of moms when you hear yoga; however, anybody can practice it. It involves activities like stretching, balancing, and resistance training that can assist your child in regulating their breathing. It is possible to be overwhelmed by some of life’s demands and responsibilities, especially in this fast-paced world. Unfortunately, this can take a toll on both adults and young kids by causing anxiety and physiological stress. There are fun yoga exercises that teach kids how to control and regulate their emotional state. Yoga can also be a safe outlet for children to express themselves, and this can be beneficial for lessening troubling behaviors, especially in the classroom.