Anger Worksheets For Kids: Where To Find Them And How They Work
Although anger can be a natural emotion, frequent episodes of anger in children can create difficulties for parents, siblings, and teachers. Although getting help with your child’s anger can feel challenging, there are a variety of resources that may be beneficial, including anger worksheets for kids. However, to understand how these worksheets work, it may be helpful to learn more about what anger is and how to recognize it in your children.
Learning more about anger
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anger is “an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.” Many individuals, including children, adolescents, and adults, experience this emotion from time to time. Although anger can be healthy and lead a person to take action at times, constant or intense anger could indicate that someone is experiencing an anger-related mental health condition.
Can learning the warning signs of anger help your children?
Learning the warning signs of an anger disorder can be beneficial, though the exact signs can vary depending on the disorder and the underlying causes of a child’s anger. Some warning signs to watch for may include:
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If you notice these or other signs of anger, there are a variety of ways to address these challenges. One tool that could be beneficial to explore is an anger management worksheet.
What are anger management worksheets?
Anger management worksheets and workbooks are tools that may help individuals understand their anger and find alternate ways to address anger-related thoughts and behaviors. These worksheets can provide the opportunity to build self-awareness and identify anger triggers. Anger management worksheets could also lead a person through activities that can help them cope with anger or express their emotions in a healthy way.
Are anger management worksheets for kids different?
While anger worksheets for kids may use many of the same techniques as those for adults, there can be distinct differences. For example, children’s worksheets could focus on the environments that children may experience, including those that involve school. These worksheets may also address situations specific to children, such as dealing with parents, teachers, or other children.
Where to find anger management worksheets for kids
In many cases, the best way to find anger management worksheets or other resources is to talk to a mental health professional. They can often provide trustworthy resources and help your children understand the proper way to complete these worksheets.
Online resources can vary in quality and may require a purchase. It may be important to verify that any file you download is free from viruses before downloading. For free worksheets, TherapistAid may provide a variety of options. If you want to purchase anger worksheets for kids, Mental Health Center Kids may be one resource to consider.
Workbooks for adults could also contain valuable information that could be beneficial for children. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides a workbook that may provide a variety of exercises, tools, and activities that show individuals how to manage angry outbursts.
What types of anger management activities are in these worksheets?
Activities and anger management worksheets can vary significantly. Examples of anger management activities for children may include:
- Anger Volcano: The anger volcano can show children how certain emotions can build up and lead to an anger outburst. This image depicts these primary emotions as the core of the volcano, where they collect and result in an angry eruption.
- Anger Mask: The anger mask activity may help children learn what emotion is hiding behind their anger. Children can discuss a specific time they felt angry and list potential feelings that could explain why they were angry at that moment.
- Drawing Your Anger: Using art to express anger can be a productive activity for children. By drawing a representation of how their anger makes them feel, children may better understand what situations cause them to feel angry.
What other coping or anger management strategies can be beneficial?
A number of coping skills may help children and adults cope with anger more effectively. According to the American Psychological Association, relaxation techniques like focused breathing, relaxing imagery, and progressive muscle relaxation can all reduce stress and instances of anger. The APA also recommends improving communication skills. This can mean using active listening to carefully focus on what the other person is saying. By doing so, you may avoid mishearing them or overreacting to a benign comment.
Are coping or anger management strategies always effective?
While anger management strategies can be helpful, they may not always effectively reduce the symptoms of anger-related disorders. If your child tries anger management worksheets but is still experiencing difficulty with anger, it may be necessary to look into other options.
Are anger management activities the only way to address anger?
One of the best ways to address anger can be with the help of a mental health professional. These professionals can recommend a treatment plan that focuses on reducing symptoms and avoiding anger episodes. The type of therapy recommended can depend on what condition a person is experiencing. Two examples of therapies that may be effective include cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic approach that is often used for a variety of mental health conditions, including eating disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and different types of depression. CBT typically focuses on patterns of thought and behavior. A CBT provider can often help a person understand their thoughts and behaviors so that they can restructure these patterns to be more positive.
How can cognitive behavioral therapy help with anger?
CBT may provide children a space to learn what causes them to be angry. By identifying the situations that trigger their anger and finding ways to either avoid those situations or react in a more positive manner, children may reduce how often they lose control of their emotions.
What is dialectical behavior therapy?
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of psychotherapy that was adapted from CBT to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). Instead of solely working to change or restructure thoughts, DBT can help a person find ways to validate and live with them. While its original purpose may have been to deal only with BPD, DBT is now used for a variety of reasons, including the treatment of anger and anger-related conditions.
How can dialectical behavior therapy help with anger?
Various components of DBT, including distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, may significantly reduce the impact that anger has on a person’s life.
- Distress tolerance: Distress tolerance can show a person how to manage anger. This skill can show you how to distract yourself or react more positively during a crisis or anger episode.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness skills can be used to better understand anger and why it occurs. These skills may include observing anger objectively, doing a mental body scan, and effectively communicating emotions to others.
- Emotional regulation: Emotion regulation skills may allow a person to accept intense emotions like anger. Instead of trying to avoid getting angry entirely, a person can learn how to accept their anger, which in turn could reduce anger episodes.
- Interpersonal effectiveness: Interpersonal effectiveness skills may focus on how individuals interact with others. By building interpersonal skills, people can find ways to communicate with others effectively, resolve conflicts peacefully, and discuss needs in a clear and direct manner.
While CBT, DBT, and other types of therapy can be beneficial, in-person forms of these approaches may not always be available or convenient. Some individuals may live in a remote region, which can make finding a therapist more difficult. Others may prefer the convenience of texting, calling, or video chatting with their therapist. In these situations, it may be more feasible to use online therapy, which numerous studies have demonstrated to be effective.
Takeaway
Anger management worksheets for kids can be one way for children to address their emotions and learn to control their anger. For the best results, it may be helpful to reach out to a mental health professional, who may be able to recommend worksheets and other resources. These resources may help your child better understand why they get angry and learn techniques that help them feel calm and reduce anger episodes.
As a parent of a child experiencing challenges with anger, you may also benefit from speaking with a therapist. A therapist may be able to help with the unique challenges of parenting a child who has difficulty with emotion regulation. Take the first step toward getting support as a parent and reach out to BetterHelp today.
FAQs
What are the 3 R's of anger management worksheet?
A simple approach to anger management can be remembered by the "3 R's": recognize, reflect, respond. With this approach, a person first needs to recognize that they are experiencing anger. Anger may become noticeable through increased heart rate, muscle tension, feelings of frustration or irritability, and other signs. The second step is to reflect on what triggered the anger. The final step is to find healthy ways to respond to the feelings. Journaling about or filling out a worksheet on the three R's of anger management can give a child or adult the opportunity to think through these three steps when they notice anger arising.
How to explain anger to kids?
The best way to explain anger to kids is by letting them know it is a normal, natural emotion that can be dealt with in healthy ways. Encourage children to identify and describe their anger, instead of shaming them for having it. Help them come up with ideas for how to calm themselves down when they feel mad and find the right words to describe their feelings.
How to calm a child down when angry?
The first step toward calming down an angry child is remaining calm yourself. If you begin yelling or arguing in response to their anger, their anger will likely only escalate. Also, by staying calm and talking openly with them, you are modeling healthy ways of expressing emotions. Encourage your child to identify what might help them calm down, whether that is being alone or engaging in a soothing activity. Once they are calmer, get them to use their words to describe what they were feeling and why. Do not punish them or create negative consequences for becoming angry, because you do not want to teach them that anger is bad or something that needs to be suppressed.
What is the best therapy for children with anger?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the best types of therapy for children grappling with anger management. Skills-based therapy can also help with reducing anger and maintaining healthy social skills while experiencing anger. That said, anger is a normal and natural emotion, and not all children who display anger require therapy. However, kids who cannot manage their anger in age-appropriate ways or who experience excessive amounts of anger may benefit from therapy. For example, it's normal and age-appropriate for a toddler to occasionally throw a tantrum when they are frustrated, but that behavior isn't age-appropriate for teens.
Why is my 7 year old so angry and aggressive?
There are many reasons a child might be angrier or more aggressive than their peers. Children with intermittent explosive disorder (IED), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) may often act angry or aggressive. Also, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism may struggle with regulating their emotions, including anger. Psychiatrists and therapists are available to help young people struggling with these disorders learn healthy ways to think and act when anger arises.
How to control anger outbursts?
Parents and caregivers cannot directly control their children's angry outbursts, but they can help their children learn to better manage anger. Children may need to be taught healthy ways to react when a situation triggers their anger. For example, children may need to learn to tell a classmate, "I feel angry," instead of trying to hurt the classmate. If a child's anger is extreme or leads to aggression, see a professional. A doctor or mental health professional can help determine if an underlying disorder is at play. If a disorder is present, treating it may help reduce angry outbursts.
What are the three components of anger?
Some experts describe anger as having three components: feeling anger, expressing anger, and understanding emotions. Feeling anger describes when anger first arises, which usually occurs for kids when they are under stress, being teased, or not getting something they want. Expressing anger refers to the words they say and behaviors they engage in while feeling anger. Understanding the emotion is the final component, and something parents, teachers, and therapists can help children with. Children may not initially understand their feelings or expressions of anger, but adults can assist them with reflecting on these feelings and actions.
Does ADHD make kids angry?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) doesn't necessarily make kids angry, but kids with ADHD may struggle more with managing emotions like anger than kids without ADHD. If a child with ADHD is struggling with anger, it may benefit them to develop anger management skills with the help of a therapist. They may also benefit from other ADHD treatment, like medication.
Why is my child so angry and defiant?
Anger is a natural emotion, and it's also normal for a child to be defiant at certain stages of their lives, such as while they are toddlers. However, some children are more angry or defiant than others. In these cases, there may be an underlying disorder at play. Disorders like intermittent explosive disorder (IED), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many doctors and therapists excel at helping their child clients who have these disorders.
How do you discipline a child with anger issues?
When a child has anger issues, they generally need support and, in some cases, treatment rather than discipline. While it may feel easy to become angry in response to an angry child, yelling or engaging in punishment like spanking will likely only escalate the situation. Also, you do not want to punish or discipline a child for becoming angry. Anger in and of itself is not "bad" or an emotion that children should be taught to feel shame about. But, you can set consequences for certain behaviors, such as hitting a peer. You can also teach a child to learn to identify their anger and manage it in healthy ways. When they do act out from anger, help them understand how their behavior may negatively impact their relationships. If a child's anger is frequent or out of control, consider taking them to see a professional.
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