What to do with this activity?

A child can lose their temper and throw a tantrum for lots of reasons. Try and eliminate some of those reasons before they happen with these tips:

1. Give your child some control over their own life by involving them in decisions where you can. Give them a choice where possible -  for example "red or green towel" to get them out of the bath. Also, they might rise to a challenge like "I bet you can't get into your pyjamas in less than thirty seconds". They will feel in control.

2. If you see a tantrum coming on, think of ways to distract your child from the thing that's beginning to upset them. Point to something interesting, or have a favourite toy on standby. Or you could set them a little activity like spotting red cars out of the bus window.

3. Give them reasonable attention - nobody likes to be ignored. Keep them involved by telling them what you are up to and what you are going to do next.

4. Keep it quick. Young children don't have long attention spans, and they may get over-tired, over-hungry or thirsty.

If you would like to read more, check out this article on the Irish website Practical Parenting.