Child Bouncing Off The Walls? Here's What To Do
As a mother, it can sometimes be challenging to know how to deal with a child who’s bouncing off the walls. No matter what you try, they just don’t seem to want to calm down.
If that sounds like a kid you know, this guide is here to help. We run through some of the strategies you can use to get them to calm down and take it easy.
Here’s what you need to know:
Burn Their Energy Off
One of the best things you can do is burn off their energy. If you can drain the tank a little, you can reduce their tendency to want to run and jump around when it’s not convenient.
Kids tend to burn up the most energy with things like jumping, climbing and running around. These activities burn a lot of energy.
Once they’ve moved for an hour or two, they’ll usually be ready to settle down. Most children can’t do much longer than that.
Set Up An Obstacle Course
You could also try setting up an obstacle course for them. Laying down some pillows and cushions makes them think about how they’re going to use their motor function.
It also gives their mind something to do. The process of building a fort or course of some description demands more cognitive resources that would otherwise go into hyperactivity.
Use Food Wisely
As a mother with a child bouncing off the walls, you also want to use food wisely. Most authorities recommend a combination of protein and complex carbs, perhaps best embodied by beans. Legumes keep their blood sugar levels stable and allow them to get the nutrition they need for their brains to be at their best.
Try A Screen Detox
To reduce stimulation further, you could also insist on a screen detox. Making them go 24 hours without looking at one of these is often enough to reset them and enable them to concentrate on the things that are really going to support their development long-term.
Screen detoxes are unpopular, so be prepared for some push-back. Just be aware that this level of retaliation is directly proportionate to the addictiveness of modern apps and technologies.
Look For Treatment Options
Of course, small lifestyle changes aren’t always going to work for kids’ hyperactivity. Partly, it’s built into their nature, but also it can be environmental, too.
An well-equipped ADHD treatment center can tell you whether what you’re experiencing is normal. Sometimes it will be, and that’s fine, but other times it won’t be, and you need to take action. If you delay it, they could go on to learn more bad habits that become entrenched.
Introduce “Brain Breaks”
Finally, if you notice your child bouncing off the walls, don’t just punish them. That can be counterproductive. Instead, tell them that they need to have a “brain break” so they can calm down.
These breaks can be pretty much anything that involves movement without screens. Even just asking them to do five jumping jacks can adjust their brain state.