Best Self Family Post
High-Energy Children & Cold Winter Days
2/28/19
As we continue to slog on through these cold winter months, with snow, ice, and a polar vortex keeping everyone inside, many parents are asking: “How can I rein in my child’s energy?” While children always have a sometimes enviable amount of energy, it can feel magnified and even out of control during winter months when cabin fever sets in and there are less outlets available. Below are some tips to help you identify how to identify, redirect, and calm your child’s energy.
Identify your child’s high-energy times. These can be obvious – I think everyone had an access of energy after two days in a row of staying inside because of below zero temperatures – but they can be more subtle, as well. Look at your child’s periods of higher energy and figure out how you can plan around them. Some children have higher energy after school on Mondays, because they’re not yet used to spending so much time in the classroom. Others, paradoxically, have more energy on weekends because they don’t have the outlets of gym class and recess or they’re “letting off steam” from their school week. It could be as simple as days where they don’t have soccer practice, when they’ve stayed up too late, or when they’ve had an extra cookie for dessert.
Plan around your child’s energetic periods. If you can identify these problem times, you can plan around them. This could mean planning an outing on those days, or avoiding errands at times when your child won’t have the patience, or changing bedtime or limiting sweets. If you can plan around it, those high-energy times will be decreased and will be more easily managed.
Redirect your child’s energy into productivity. Younger children can enjoy the novelty of some chores, like sweeping or doing dishes with lots of bubbles. (Whether they do them well is another story – but they are contributing to help the family and using some of their excess energy.) The same chores that we may find tedious are novel to children, especially when a production is made of this important “job.” Older children can channel that energy into “babysitting” younger children while you are busy in the next room. Children of all ages love baking, and measuring, kneading, and plopping out dough are all fun and helpful ways to use some of that energy.
Redirect your child’s energy into something fun. There are plenty of indoor activities that can keep your child busy. You could set up an indoor scavenger hunt or an obstacle course, or have your child set one up for you or a sibling. If you have the space, give your child a hula hoop and challenge them to see how many revolutions they can get it. Have an indoor dance party and shake off some of that energy! See Chelsea Gasaway’s blog post, Screen Free Summer, for more fun ideas.
Plan outings to help your child cope with their cabin fever. There are so many fun places in the city, like trampoline parks and ninja parks, where you can take your child to use up some of that excess energy. There are gyms with indoor swimming pools and tennis courts. For a less expensive outing, you can take your child to a fast food restaurant with a playscape and work off the french fries on a playground. When the weather’s not too cold, take your child to the park and watch them play in the snow. Skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating probably aren’t everyday options in the city, but they make for fun vacations that can physically exhaust your child in the happiest way. This is also a time to really focus on planning playdates – the children may have to stay inside, but they can keep each other busy and entertained.
Calm your child’s energy. While it is tempting to turn on the TV or hand them a tablet, screens often provide temporary relief while making children even antsier once the screens are turned off. Unless you plan to leave the TV on or have your child glued to their tablet all winter (not recommended by this writer), screen time should be limited. Instead, find a puzzle, brain teaser, or fidget that can calm your child. An art activity could create a fidget, like a calming glitter jar or slime. High-energy children tend to love Legos, whether it be following directions to make the Millenium Falcon or creating their own unique designs. The same child who may whine if you ask them to go read but love if you wrapped them in a “blanket burrito” and read to them.
High-energy children may be challenging at times, but they are so engaging and creative too! Remember that many of these tips also apply to the remainder of the year. Use these ideas to handle the hard parts proactively and get back to the best part of all of that energy: enjoying your sweet, fun, wildly entertaining child.