Your 10-year-old is being dramatic due to normal pre-teen brain development (heightened emotions, poor regulation), hormonal shifts (puberty starting), learning new coping skills, social pressures, or even modeling behavior seen at home; it's often a normal but intense phase where they lack the language for big feelings, leading to outbursts, but can also signal anxiety or other underlying issues.
And the answer might not be what you think.
The 3-3-3 rule for kids' anxiety is a simple mindfulness grounding technique where they name 3 things they see, identify 3 sounds they hear, and move 3 different body parts (like wiggling toes, turning a head, or rolling shoulders) to shift focus from worries to the present moment, helping to calm overwhelming feelings. It's a quick, portable tool to manage anxiety, but for persistent issues, professional help is recommended.
Anger and frustration are common triggers for meltdowns in 10-year-olds. Teaching your child coping mechanisms for these emotions can help to prevent meltdowns. This could involve teaching them to take deep breaths, count to ten, or use positive self-talk when they start to feel angry or frustrated.
Emotional and social development
They often have a best friend of the same gender. Continue to enjoy team and group activities. Like and listen to their parents. Some children, though, will start to show irritation with or lack of respect for adults who are in charge.
Big Kids and Tweens (8 to 9 Years)
Puberty typically starts as early as age 8 for girls and age 9 for boys. 7 As a result, kids this age often feel torn between the little-kid and big-kid worlds. 8-year-olds can slam doors and roll their eyes to assert their independence and individuality.
Months Is not gazing at objects; does not tune out repetitive sounds; does not move eyes to follow sound Does not respond to loud sounds Does not coo or make sounds When lying on back: keeps hands fisted and lacks arm movements; is not bringing hands to mouth; lacks symmetrical arm movements; does not turn head to ...
ADHD rage, or emotional dysregulation, looks like sudden, intense outbursts (meltdowns or shutdowns) disproportionate to the trigger, manifesting as yelling, throwing things, intense crying, physical tension (clenching fists/jaw, stomping), or total withdrawal, stemming from the brain's difficulty regulating emotions, making small frustrations feel overwhelming and leading to "volcanic" reactions that seem to come from nowhere.
You can help your child regulate their emotions by coaching them to slow down and calmly respond to situations rather than being impulsive. Patience and positive feedback from the parent are important. With support and guidance, the child will gradually learn to handle challenges on their own.
The study revealed that the more children engaged with electronic screens, the more likely they were to develop socioemotional problems. This included both internalizing problems, such as anxiety and depression, and externalizing problems, such as aggression and hyperactivity.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
Five common warning signs of anxiety include excessive worry or feeling on edge, physical symptoms like a racing heart or shortness of breath, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and irritability or restlessness, often accompanied by an urge to avoid anxiety triggers. These signs can impact daily functioning, leading to fatigue, stomach issues, or trouble relaxing.
Do not force your child into a stressful situation without talking to them about what's making them anxious first. This could make the problem worse. If your child is really struggling and it's affecting their everyday life, it might be good to talk to your GP or school nurse.
Warning signs that your child may have a mental health disorder include:
First, describe the problem behavior to your son and firmly tell him to stop. Give a negative consequence, either taking away a privilege or assigning a chore. Next, describe the positive behavior he should use instead of the misbehavior. Have him practice the positive behavior you have described.
The 5 Cs of discipline, commonly for parenting, are Clarity, Consistency, Communication, Caring, and Create (or Responsibility), focusing on setting clear rules with understandable reasons and consequences, enforcing them predictably, talking about them often with empathy, showing love beyond misbehavior, and building a child's sense of duty and capability, rather than just punishing. Different versions exist, sometimes swapping "Create" for "Control," "Commitment," or "Compassion," but the core principles remain about structure, connection, and teaching self-regulation.
How to Toughen Up a Sensitive Kid? Avoid this approach. 'Toughening up' can make a child highly sensitive and feel misunderstood or like something is 'wrong' with them. Focus on helping them understand and regulate their emotions, building coping skills, and fostering a positive environment.
Common signs and symptoms include:
The five core competencies of emotional intelligence (EQ), popularized by Daniel Goleman, are Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills. These skills help individuals understand their own emotions, manage them effectively, understand others' feelings, and build stronger relationships for personal and professional success.
The 20-minute rule for ADHD is a productivity strategy to overcome task paralysis by committing to work on a task for just 20 minutes, leveraging the brain's need for dopamine and short bursts of focus, making it easier to start and build momentum, with the option to stop or continue after the timer goes off, and it's a variation of the Pomodoro Technique, adapted for ADHD's unique challenges like time blindness. It helps by reducing overwhelm, providing a clear starting point, and creating a dopamine-boosting win, even if you only work for that short period.
An ADHD meltdown is an external emotional response to overwhelming stress or sensory overload. It can look like anger, crying, shouting, or a sudden loss of emotional control.
The 24-hour rule for ADHD is a self-regulation strategy to combat impulsivity by creating a mandatory waiting period (often a full day) before reacting to emotionally charged situations or making significant decisions, allowing time for reflection and reducing regretful snap judgments, especially for things like impulse purchases or arguments. It's a pause button that gives the brain space to process, move from impulse to intention, and evaluate choices more logically, helping manage ADHD's impact on emotional regulation and decision-making.
Some of the typical behaviours of a child with CD may include:
Then ask about the four main symptoms: cough or difficult breathing, diarrhoea, fever and ear problem. A child who has one or more of the main symptoms could have a serious illness. When a main symptom is present, ask additional questions to help classify the illness.
Children with autism may exhibit rigidity, inflexibility and certain types of repetitive behavior such as: Insistence on following a specific routine. Having difficulty accepting changes in the schedule. A strong preoccupation with a particular interest.