If you’re a parent, chances are you have seen your children move from calm, loving creatures to unrecognizable terrors of energy that burst forth like the spaghetti they used to throw as a baby from the highchair. OK – maybe not quite – but like the spaghetti and my food throwing babes – I sometimes find myself in the line of too-much-pent-up-energy fire.
Behavior Management and Physical Activity
There is one form of behavior management and behavior modification that I find myself consistently reaching for as I parent my four children – physical activity. Behavior management when it comes to parenting basically involves creating opportunities and activities available for our children so that they have the best possible desired behavioral outcomes. This might mean that you limit video game time because it is too distracting for homework, or you sign your son up for sport teams because he seems to need that extra activity. Behavior modification is the way we try to instill good, or remove and replace bad behaviors with more acceptable ones. For me physical activity is one of the best combinations of these two approaches.
I don’t know if it is because there are so many boys in my house that the testosterone can suddenly overwhelm innocent bystanders, but I do know that if I don’t provide my kids with enough physical activity they are liable to explode and take me with them. I have learned over the years that providing them with opportunities to run, jump, leap, and crawl is essential to their healthy development, and this is one of the forms of behavior management I use as a parent. I also think it is why teachers sometimes struggle so much in the classroom – there are too many expectations for stillness among bodies that were meant to be moving. When we as parents are mindful of the cues our children send us about their physical needs, we can make sure we give them activities that will help meet those needs.
Behavior Modification and Physical Activity
In our family I have also discovered how I can utilize physical activity as a form of behavior modification as well. Researchers and therapists have also been finding that physical activity is a great way to implement behavior modification plans. Doctors even give patients prescriptions for gyms, physical programs, and instructions on replacing old, poorer habits with healthier ones. This isn’t just limited to things like weight control and cardiovascular health. People, including children, suffering from anxiety issues can really be helped by this method of modifying behaviors.
When it comes to parenting and behavior modification through physical activity, I use several approaches depending upon the situation. Here are some of the examples for how it works in our home with our kids who range in age from 8 – 15.
If my child is getting visibly frustrated over a school assignment, I have him break from his task and do 5 minutes of physical activity. Jumping jacks, shooting hoops, or even yoga can help relieve stress and get oxygen flowing again. As a result of this habit I have seen my kids now on their own get up and move from their difficult assignments to take a positive break.
If one of my kids is finding just the right way to bother a sibling by making every incessant annoying noise possible, it is time to do a physical and maybe verbal activity. This might be playing a game of 500 outside so the mouth and the legs can run, traditional childhood games like What Time is it Mr. Fox?, or even by walking to the neighbors and visiting. Getting kids to learn to take their negative energies and turn them into positives benefits everyone in the family.
If one of my kids is, for lack of a better description, being rather lazy or unproductive, it is time to move. This might mean asking for help taking out the garbage or carrying laundry upstairs, or it could be taking everyone for a hike outside. Shifting focus from the glazed over look teenagers sometimes get when texting too much or being confined inside too much is really important, and physical activity is one of the best ways to change that focus. Even with their potential eye-rolling.
There are other ways to use physical activity in behavior management and modification:
- Make sure your child has time every day for physical activity
- Keep things like juggling balls, jump ropes, hacky sacks, and these great conversation balls on hand for positive uses of energy
- Turn on the music and dance with your kids if you see them on the verge of a bad behavior – you both might look silly but you just changed their course of behavior for the better
- Watch for the signs that your child might benefit from more physical activity – agitation, anxiety, boredom, listlessness, and crabbiness
Don’t underestimate the power of physical activity on the behaviors your child shows. And don’t be afraid to use these practices yourself. Nothing clears my head from the chaos of raising children like a 5 minute session pulling weeds or a brisk walk outside. Then it is back to the testosterone overload!
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