How to Tire a Hyperactive Child
I don’t know if you noticed, but children have a lot of energy. If they don’t run away or climb something, they ask questions or want to be entertained, and all of this can be difficult to keep up with if you ever want to do other things. But there are also hyperactive children who bring with them a completely different level of “energy.”
While the causes of hyperactivity vary, their effects on parents are not. Supporting a hyperactive child, including keeping him from any deadly tricks they can think of, is exhausting .
With my own hyperactive son, exhausting him is a task and a half. This is a child climbing the tallest structure in the playground, the child escapes in the blink of an eye into the crowd, and also a child who jumps and jumps while the rest of his playmates walk. Meanwhile, I am a mother with disheveled hair, who is holding his third cup of coffee of the day, all the time running after him, fearing that he would need another visit to the emergency room.
When my son gets enough activity, he becomes a sweet and happy child. When not, he is restless, irritable, and prone to acting out. It is important to give him an outlet for his energy, but too often he tires me , and not vice versa.
What causes hyperactivity in some children?
It is important to provide hyperactive kids with appropriate outlets for their energy, but what are the best outlets and how do you provide them without exhausting yourself in the process? According to the Your Kid’s Table website, written by Alisha Grogan, a licensed pediatric therapist and mother of three boys, helping hyperactive children burn their energy requires a slightly different strategy than children who are not hyperactive.
According to Grogan, hyperactivity is often associated with sensory problems , which forces them to constantly seek new sensations. To help a hyperactive child, it is not enough to just make him run until he gets tired; rather, it helps to strategically approach their activities to give them what they need.
Grogan advises treating hyperactive children by designing activities that fit one of three criteria , changing your strategy to suit your child’s needs at that particular moment. These solutions are:
Offer activities with rhythm and structure
Hyperactive kids have a lot of energy, but that doesn’t mean they don’t crave structure, whether they realize it or not. Jumping up and down burns energy great; jumping up and down to the beat of your favorite song is even better.
As for my son, he loves dance parties with his dad where they both jump up and down while singing songs. His movements are a little more focused during a dance party, while his mood is much better.
Other options include playing sports, walking, climbing a freestanding structure or stone wall, or setting up an obstacle course . Movement helps burn energy, and structure helps them focus a little.
We offer free active time
Structured play is important, but sometimes you just need to let your child get around for a bit so they can get rid of all that anxiety from their system. It could be unstructured play in the park or playground, competition with a dad, jumping up and down on the bed, or something else that can help them flush excess energy from their bodies.
They are children, after all, which means sometimes you just have to come to terms with chaos. As long as no one gets hurt and nothing of value breaks down, you can afford to rely on this restless energy for a while. Just make sure you are drinking coffee and that any fragile items are secured.
Offer a relaxing atmosphere to help with transitions
Most children struggle with transitions , such as the transition from active to quiet time. Hyperactive kids seem to struggle a little more than most, so it’s much more important to ensure a smooth transition from active to quiet or resting time.
If you have a hyperactive child who is showing signs of fatigue but simply cannot calm down, a good strategy is to put him or her in a relaxing environment. This can include dim lights, swinging them back and forth, or playing soothing music. If you need a quiet time, it can help to tidy them up in the room, which can help put them in a calmer mood. (And us, for that matter.)