Anger Management Programs for Elementary
Students

Quality anger management programs for elementary students help children, teachers, parents, and the community by teaching students conflict resolution techniques and giving them tools necessary to resist peer pressure, control anger, and avoid fights. Some elementary schools make anger management courses available to children as young as five or six years of age. Unfortunately, many schools in the United States lack the financial resources to implement these programs.

Anger management programs teach respect, manners, compassion, forgiveness, responsibility, and foster positive character development. Children taking part in these programs learn to stop and think before reacting, consider the feelings of others, see all sides of a situation, and compromise to find a solution to common problems.

Young children are easily frustrated and respond to internal and external conflicts with angry outbursts, defiance, or withdrawal. School often presents a challenge to elementary-aged children, especially those with special needs or who are emotionally less mature than their peers. Conflicts with other students, peer pressure, and confrontations with teachers and school officials can be overwhelming for some children.

Goals of Anger Management:

• Prevent in-school fighting
• Teach conflict resolution
• Encourage proactive solutions to problems
• Improve student-teacher and child-parent communication
• Teach stress management skills
• Increase self-esteem, self-control, and self-confidence

Students will work with a counselor or other trained professional to identify triggers for their anger and other negative emotions. Role-playing, modeling, and other techniques teach the students the correct process for dealing with emotions.

Anger management programs for elementary students encourage emotional maturity, while teaching the necessary skills to cope with anger, teasing, bullying, and criticism.

Anger Management Strategies:

• Walk away
• Count to ten or take a time-out
• Channel anger into a positive outlet, such as sports or creative activities
• Discuss negative emotions with a trusted adult
• Try relaxation techniques, such as meditation or listening to music
• Keep a journal to work out negative emotions on paper

Instead of reacting immediately, the student will develop the insight and self-control to walk away when angry to calm down, and evaluate his own feelings and thoughts about the situation. After regaining emotional control, the student can then approach the other person, listen to the opposing viewpoint, consider the other person's thoughts and feelings, and discuss the problem to come to a compromise or solution.

Depending on your school’s resources and size, and the age of your child, the type of anger management program available may range from a quick classroom instructional to a daily or weekly group session with a counselor. Most elementary anger management programs target at-risk children, such as those with a history of discipline problems at school. In most cases, concerned parents can enroll their child in a program by speaking with the school’s guidance department.

Elementary students must cope with disrespect, failure, criticism, peer pressure, and social rejection. When the proper way of dealing with these issues is not learned at home, the child is easily frustrated and overwhelmed at school. A child's natural instinct is to react, either with anger, or by shutting down completely. Anger management programs teach healthy, effective ways of dealing with both internal and external pressure and stressors.

In the end, children who have successfully completed anger management programs are more likely to maintain self-control, develop healthy levels of self-esteem and self-respect, and react rationally and proactively to challenges than those who have received no guidance.

These skills will benefit the child for the rest of his or her life.

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