Three-year-olds have many desires and requests but cannot express them to parents clearly because their language is still limited, that's why the 3-year-old crisis in children appears. In the article below, Mykingdom will help parents understand better the signs of the 3-year-old crisis in their child and how to address those issues.
Signs of a 3-year-old crisis in children
In the 3-year-old crisis phase, the child begins to show clear signs such as:
- The child wants to do everything by themselves and will get upset or throw things if they are not allowed to do what they want.
- The child screams and refuses to cooperate with parents when their demands are not met.
- The child has negative reactions to things around them without any reason.
- The child does not listen to adults' guidance, such as not wanting to wear clothes chosen by parents, not wanting to wear a coat when going out,....
- The child is no longer interested in the things they used to like.
- The child shows irrational defiance by grabbing a friend's toy or hitting peers when other children won't play with them.
Ways to deal with your child's 3-year-old crisis
Going through the crisis phase with your child is the most effective way to help them address problems.
Parents should learn how to listen to their child
Parents should learn to listen to what their child says to better understand the child's thoughts and viewpoints, and then reconsider the child's thinking; if the child's thinking is correct, parents can show that they will accept the child's opinion, provided the child behaves and does not engage in inappropriate actions.
Do not yell at your child
Parents should not scold or get angry with the child because the child will think the parents hate them or do not understand them, and will become even more rebellious. Instead, when the child does something wrong, parents should give the child time to calm down, then sit down with the child to talk about the mistake. You should explain why the child should not do those actions, and the consequences if the child continues actions such as getting angry, hitting friends or grabbing toys from other kids.
Being a role model for your child is the simplest and most effective way to teach
Being a model is the simplest and most effective way for parents to correct their child's bad behaviors. Three-year-olds often look to the surrounding models to learn and imitate. For example, if parents regularly speak to their child calmly, when the child faces a problem, the child will speak to the parents calmly, avoiding smashing things or arguing with parents to express their upset emotions.
Language development for your child
Parents should teach the child many new words so the child knows how to express themselves through speech, reducing the 3-year-old crisis. You can teach the child by describing the child’s desires, for example: Con muốn tự múc thức ăn phải không? Say: “Mom, I want to scoop my own food” rather than grabbing the spoon like this! This will help the child easily express what they want and their emotions.
The 3-year-old crisis in children is a chain of actions that you must be attentive to detect early and correct for your child from the start. Through these changes and corrections, parents also teach the child what is right and wrong in life and help the child become more well-behaved.
