"Who is my Child?"

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On Wednesday, at our "Ready to Learn" Parent group, we had a fantastic presentation done on child temperaments. Previous to this class, I had no idea what this meant, and after learning about it, I think this knowledge could be a parents best friend!

A temperament is how a person usually acts and every person is made up of several different traits. Understanding temperament is important because it affects how much your child learns, how well he or she behaves and how happy your child can be.

As you read through the traits, think about where your child might fall on the spectrum- then you can use that information to learn more about how you can help your child use those traits to their best advantage.

The Traits of Temperament are as follows:

• Activity Level: How active is my child? Very active or less active?

• Sensitivity to Senses: How sensitive is my child to light, smells, sound and touching? 

• Awareness of Feelings: How aware is my child of feelings and emotions?

• Strength of Expression: How strongly does my child express feelings, wants and opinions?

• Persistence: How does my child stick with and complete a task?

• Distractibility: How does my child pay attention? Not distracted or easily distracted?

• Ability to Change: How does my child adapt to change? Enjoys it or prefers the familiar?

• Need for Physical Routine: How much routine does my child need? prefers routine, or likes variety?

• Usual Mood: What is my child's mood most of the time?

Once you identify where your child fits in with these traits, then you can learn more about that specific temperament from the website here! (it starts on page 16). Under each trait, there are tips for working with your child and helping them use their temperaments to their (and your) advantage! 

If you have any additional ideas about children temperaments, let us know by commenting below. 

Also, our Aspire and Ready to Learn Parenting classes happen on the third Wednesday of every month at the Utah Department of Health in Provo. Its free and pizza and a lesson are provided! Come join us next month!