Every child is different and their adaptability to the environment is also different. Understanding their needs and requirements is very important to build a healthy relationship with them. Some children very difficult to manage and express their emotions.
Toddlers and preschoolers specially have a bit more difficulty in regulating and expressing their feelings and emotions and tend to become cranky and end up crying.
What is a Child Temperament
Temperament of a child is the emotional style of a child and well do they adapt to a situation. All children have their own unique temperaments. Some are easy to handle and convince whereas some can be quite stubborn and test your patience. In order to deal with a child first you will have to understand how that child reacts in a particular situation and what will make him / her feel comfortable and at ease at that point.
Different Traits of Child Temperament
If one is aware of the different characteristics of the child temperament it can help a Parent to understand and deal with the child better. Parents will be able to respond better ands understand the requirements of the child better.
Below i will share a few Major Characteristics / traits that make up a child’s Temperament.
Activity Level
This refers to the child’s tendency to be active. Some kids are super active, always into something or the other, running around, and restless while on the other hand some children like to do less strenuous activities.
Regularity
This is the regular pattern a child shows for everyday activities like appetite, sleep, and bowel habits. Some children show these patterns on a regular basis while some do not.
Approach and Withdrawal
This shows how a child behaves when put in new environment or new things. This can be to people, situations, places, foods, changes in routines or other transitions. Some children will embrace new things readily while some will take time.
Adaptability
This is how easily a child will adapt to a new situation and how well they will modify to that situation.
Intensity
Intensity is referred to as the amount of strength with which a child shows his or her emotions be it positive or negative. It is strength of the emotional response a child shows in a situation.
Mood
It is how generally the child stays happy or unhappy most of the time in a day. It is the behavior of the child through the day.
Attention Span
It is the ability of a child to concentrate on a certain activity or task with or without distraction.
Distractibility
It is how quickly a child can get distracted from their activity by some external factors like any sound, light or any other sight.
Sensory threshold
It is the amount of stimulation required for a child to respond. Some children respond to the slightest stimulation, and others require intense amounts.
How Temperament affect the Child and their Parents
Every child has a different pattern and so every child needs to be dealt in a different way. All the children have a combination of different above mentioned traits. Temperament is broadly categorized into three different categories and mostly all children fall in one of these.
The Easy Temperament child
The child with an easy temperament is much easy to handle. These kids are more content, flexible, and have regular biological rhythms. These children are less intense and are more adaptable to the external environment without much struggle. Parents do not have a tough time handling these kids
The Slow to Warm up Temperament Child
These children initially withdraw and react negatively to a new situation and have mild intensity of emotions but they gradually warm up, adapt and become positive towards the situation. They slowly adapt towards unfamiliar people and surroundings. They are a bit shy when making new friends and withdraw themselves but slowly warm up. They typically become more accepting of new people and situations once they become more familiar.
The Difficult Temperament Child
These children are categorized as fussy babies. They are very rigid and do not adapt to any situation or circumstances for a long time. They are prone to a lot of temper tantrums.
Some children with more challenging temperaments may have trouble adjusting at school. Teachers may complain of problems in class or on the playground. When kids have conflict-prone temperaments, they typically have more behavioral problems.
Understanding and Managing Child Behavior
Trait – High Activity Level
Children who have a trait of high activity level will tend to be very energetic and inquisitive. They want to explore their surrounding and keep themselves occupied with something or the other. They are very restless and can easily get distracted.
Parents should give time to “burn off” energy with physical activity. Use distraction techniques to keep them occupied and complete one activity at a time.
Trait – Low Activity Level
Children with this trait will take their own time to complete a task and are not very active. Sometimes they are referred to as lazy.
Parents of these kids should give extra time to kids to finish a task. Make them realistic within a given time frame. Avoid criticism of child’s slow pace.
Trait – Irregular Activity Level
When there is a disruption in daily routine theses kids may not get upset. these kids do not have proper routine for anything like eating habits, sleeping .
Parents need to make such kids follow a routine of coming to the table or going to bed, but don’t force them to eat or sleep.
Trait – Initial withdrawal
These kids are a little slow to accept change. they get cautious in situations. They may reject people and new situations. They also have separation anxiety and are quite shy.
Parents need to introduce them to new changes slowly. Talk about change beforehand. Let the child go at their own pace.
Trait – Slow Adaptability
These kids take a very long time to adjust and adapt. These kids are less likely to be affected by negative influences. They find changes and transitions very difficult.
Parents need to set predictable and consistent daily routines. Always prepare the child of upcoming changes in advance. Try multiple brief exposures.
Trait – High Intensity
These children are very extreme. they show extreme emotions. May tend to yell rather than talk. They need a lot of attention of the caregivers.
Parents need to practice tolerance and model more appropriate responses.
Trait – Inattention & distractibility
These children do not listen easily. Has more difficulty concentrating and studying. Gets off track easily. These kids are easily distracted.
Parents need to give simple and short instructions to these kids. Address child by name, use eye contact. Give breaks, reminders and praise the child for completing tasks.
What Child Temperament Can Teach You
Understanding a child temperament can help to know their behavior which to some extent is their innate pattern beyond their control. Regardless of the child’s individual temperament you can create a healthy behavioral development. Knowing a kid’s nature enables moms and dads to predict responses under various circumstances, thus adjusting parenting strategies appropriately.