Simple Trick to Tame a Tantrum Almost Instantly

Little kids can have big emotions.  Those emotions can come out in a variety of ways but as a mom of four, the most dreaded is the tantrum or a full blown meltdown.  The child has lost all control and is crying hysterically.  Nothing you do is able to calm them.  In my bag of mom tools I have a simple trick to tame a tantrum almost instantly.

Just the other day my kindergartener came home from school tired and hungry so when it was time to get ready for karate and her uniform was “itchy” it became the perfect storm.

She was crying.

And the more she cried, the more worked up she got.

She couldn’t calm down.  She couldn’t even take a breath.

Then I remembered…

Calming big emotions and taming tantrums

When my children were very young, my husband deployed twice for extended period times. There were months and months full of big emotions and lots of tantrums. We were fortunate to be able to participate in a deployment support group lead specifically for young children.  Each week they would meet and create crafts to send to their parents, talk about their worries and emotions, and learn coping mechanisms.

That was it!  Coping mechanisms.  Children need toolkits too. They don’t want to be out of control and they don’t like having a meltdown any more than we like them to.

When my daughter was knee deep in a meltdown and couldn’t calm down I remembered…bubbles!

One of the tools that they learned to use was bubbles!!

So we got out the bubbles and after I blew a few it was her turn.  She started to blow the bubbles from the wand and she began to calm down.  As she drew in deep breath after deep breath to blow the bubbles, her crying lessened, her body became less tense, and within a few minutes the meltdown was over and she was calm.

Why it works to calm a child

As adults we are encouraged to take deep breaths when we are upset to calm out emotions.  If you have ever dealt with a toddler or young child in the middle of a tantrum, you know full well telling them to take deep breaths is NOT GOING TO WORK.

But, blowing bubbles will force them to take deep breaths without even realizing it!  You can teach them to take a deep breath when they are mad or upset by practicing blowing bubbles.  When a tantrum or a meltdown arises, break out those bubbles and start blowing!

And a bonus…bubbles are fun!