Kids Fighting

Why are my kids fighting with each other?

There are many different reasons for kids to start fighting - but very often it boredom is the main reason.

Many parents find that rainy days during the school holidays are when their children fight the most.

Yes, when boredom sets in, fighting is a great way to relieve it!

When my children were growing up, we had several different ways of dealing with boredom and kids fighting.

here are some ideas:

Kids Fighting? Parents - Don't Always Intervene


Often my children repaired themselves far more easily without parental interference. I did check to make sure they weren't hurting each other, but nine times out of ten, they resolved it themselves.

Often parental interference provoked an all out war! So my first suggestion would be leave them to sort it out for themselves.

Next suggestion:

Kids Fighting? - Run off that negative energy!

If we really needed to call in the United Nations peace keeping forces because things had escalated, then the children knew they would be told to don raincoats and go outside to run their negative energy off.

We were lucky to have a large back yard and the children were expected to run hard several times right around the house. It never failed to surprise me how their attitudes had changed by the time they ran back in, usually laughing. Often they were deeply involved in planning their next project together as they ran back in the door, struggling to get their coats off quickly enough to get on with their great idea!

Kids Fighting? - Plan exciting projects

At times, what was needed was a bit of direction from the adults. For many years I had a wonderful book called, What to do when there's nothing to do! There are many books like this at your local library.
Here are some of the book's suggestions:

1. Put on a concert
2. Build an indoor hut
3. Do some baking
4. Make papier mache
5. Hold a flower show
6. Play schools
7. Create a library
8. Paint a giant mural
9. Get out the blocks
10. Hunt through the board games
11. Make a soap carving each
12. Act out a play

Kids Fighting? - Make a Rainy Day Box

This takes some planning and foresight, but I remember it never failed! By planning ahead, you can maintain a supply of different boxes which you fill with materials for creative projects.

#  One box could hold: glue, glitter, stickers, new colouring books, paints, large roll of paper, sellotape, scissors, hole punch, coloured card, etc.

#  Another box could contain: card games, new board games, and shop bought creative projests such as beads, mosaics, or other handcrafts.

#  Another box could contain a large variety of dress-up clothes, including hats, shoes, bags and other props.

The idea is that the contents of the boxes are 'new' and unseen beforehand - a total surprise to the children. Only one box at a time is brought out and creative parents help out with suggestions for use before fading into the background.

Kids Fighting? - Parents - stop what you are doing and get involved!

Get involved with your children's play - be in the concert, help with the props, take books out of their 'library', take part in the hut building - but do it all from their perspective - don't take over - let your creativity have free rein and play like a child with them.

Sometimes your involvement is all they need to get themselves started on a wonderful project!

Wise parents know when to leave them alone also.

Be really creative!

Drive to the local sawmill and have the kids fill the boot with wood off cuts to build with. Not only do they make great build blocks, they can be hammered and sawn.

Run a planning meeting and listen to all the suggestions your chuildren can come up with.

Sometimes really simple, fun ideas are just sitting there waiting to happen and kids fighting stops when boredom ends!

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