That is a great question, Anumita. When it comes to more aggressive behavior, there can be a lot of variables involved. First, it can be developmentally appropriate. Children under three respond based on emotion and not logic. When children respond aggressively, they are overwhelmed by their emotions. Their temperament can play a major role. Here is a learning byte that can help with understanding the goodness of fit and check out the resources section for a link to the Talks on Tuesday webinar on supporting social and emotional development: https://veipd.org/main/pdf/learning_bytes/learning_byte_ei_sd_identifying.pdf

Also, we can help caregivers support their child’s impulse control. Many times, they have limited self-control and rely on their actions to communicate a message. Here are some handouts from Zero to Three that are wonderful resources:

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/16-aggressive-behavior-in-toddlers

https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/233-coping-with-aggression-and-teaching-self-control

That makes my heart so happy to hear, Tanya. Especially now, we have to be more empathetic of children’s (and caregivers’) needs and support them in the best way possible.

Thank you so much for the insight into tantrums. You make a great point. It is helpful to talk through the tantrum with families. This sounds like a great strategy you are using to support the parent’s responsiveness to the child. Zero to Three’s Growing Brain curriculum also offers three key factors to consider: developmental age and stage, temperament, and environmental factors. I tend to talk a lot about temperament with families too to help parents understand their own child’s temperament. I’d love to hear more about how you help support tantrums in public. I know this is a difficult situation a lot of families encounter.

Thank you so much for this resource. I will share this with families for sure.