The Turtle Technique: A Method Of Self-control – Being Parents

Many parents today are lost and do not know the best way to educate their children. They are afraid of imposing too many restrictions. At the same time, they know that it  is necessary to set limits. This ambiguity therefore ends up fueling a lack of emotional control in children.

Lack of self-control in children usually manifests as the typical “fit”. It is also called a “temper tantrum” or “tantrum”. They start to cry and scream uncontrollably, sometimes even beating their parents and thus achieve their goal. The turtle technique helps prevent  this from happening.

The turtle technique

Many parents say their children are hyperactive when in reality they are just restless. Bad education confuses them and leads to anguish. They express their concern through  erratic, disobedient, and extreme  emotional behavior.

If so, the turtle technique is an effective way to promote self-control. Only four steps need to be applied. Here they are :

Teach the child to enter the shell

The turtle technique is inspired by the story of “Manuelita, the turtle” . She still had problems, responded poorly to the teacher, and kicked her friends when they pushed her.

So her teacher taught her that if she was very angry, she could get into his shell. And then count to ten. She applied the advice and  all of her problems were resolved, as if by magic.

What the child should be taught is to adopt the position of a turtle, such as Manuelita. Let him curl up and put  his head in his arms. It’s like he has a shell to put on.

Work muscle tension

Once he has entered the shell, he  must breathe very deeply. You can tell him it’s the “alpha turtle” position. Breathe in and out deeply. This will help relax the muscles and also relieve the tension that accompanies anger.

Look for solutions

The child must think about what to do when he comes out of the shell. It is therefore a question of  thinking about what are the solutions  to eliminate the problem. At this point, it is good to come up with some ideas or suggestions for him to find a solution on his own.

Leaving the turtle position

Once he knows how he’s going to deal with the situation, it’s time to step out of the shell. The child must leave the position adopted to carry out  his solution strategy.

In the end, he will understand that it is more effective than throwing temper tantrums. It should be  practiced over and over again, until it is internalized.

The advantages of the turtle technique

The turtle technique is particularly effective  for young children. Basically, it is suitable for children between 3 and 7 years old. However, a similar mechanism can be used with larger ones. You just have to tailor it to their interests and preferences.

However, there are also many other contributions. Here are some of them:

• The development of autonomy. If the child feels more in control of his emotions, he will also be more in control of his behavior. This gives him more autonomy and self-confidence.
• He learns to trust reason. The little by little will understand that it  is always  better to think  before acting. He will notice that his actions are more effective in this way. It will be a great help in his adult life
• This lowers his anxiety levels. If the child feels that he has more control over himself, he will feel more secure. By developing more assertive behaviors, their relationships will also be less confrontational.

• The increase in self-esteem. The turtle technique will allow the child to have a better opinion of himself. This, in turn, will affect an increase in his self-esteem.
• Increase in responsible awareness. Finally, it will be he who evaluates and decides what the solution will be. This will help him understand that he is responsible for his actions.