Children’s tantrums can be one of the trickiest aspects of parenting, often leaving mums and dads feeling frustrated and helpless. There are tons of ‘solutions’ online ranging from having a tantrum alongside them to trying to talk them down. But one dad stumbled upon an unexpectedly effective way to stop tantrums using something as simple as basic maths.
This clever method quickly gained traction online, resonating with many parents who were facing similar struggles. The trick seems almost too simple to work, but it’s proven effective for many, showing that sometimes the easiest solutions can be the most powerful.
The Maths Trick that’s a Total Gamechanger
In a thread titled “Hack your youngster’s big emotions with math”, one dad shared a genius hack to help calm his 6-year-old’s tantrums. Leaving many wondering why they hadn’t thought of it before.
He explained:
“Heard about this recently – when your kid is having a meltdown, doing math engages a different part of their brain and helps them move past the big feelings and calm down.”
How to Stop Tantrums
He goes on to say when his daughter is in an epic tantrum, something she is known for, he asks her to solve a simple math problem.
It’s a simple but effective distraction that can stop tantrums in an instant. He encourages other dads to give it a try, and the comments show the trick works, and not just for tantrums.
Hmm_Okay said it helps their autistic child, particularly during transitions.
Parents Weigh In With Other Tantrum Hacks
RagingAardvark says, “Interesting! When our youngest (nearly 8) is grumpy and refusing to eat her dinner, I suspect she’s hungry but ironically she’s too grumpy to want to eat. So, I have been asking her to rate her happiness on a scale of one to ten, and then take three bites and rate it again. She sees it as a challenge and an experiment, so she becomes willing to try eating. Now I’m wondering if the process of quantifying her mood is also helping her mood.”
Subot01 added, “I sometimes do this, just throw a completely random question at my kid such as “Why do you think frogs jump?” Works quite well!”
My wife does it with “name 5 animals at the zoo” or “can you find all the green things in the room?” commented Mudhouse.
Soboness5 adds, “Great tip. Works on Dads, too! Ever get Pee Shy? Start doing some random appropriately-difficult math and get things flowin’.”
In a separate thread, IAmAHorseSizedDuck said: “A little too well though.
Some other dad posted a while ago about a trick he used to calm their kids down when they’re having a meltdown. Ask them math questions, and they’ll forget why they’re tantruming in the first place … something about activating a different part of their brain.
I have 4yo twins who share a room. They tend to be more clingy towards my wife. This morning at 5am, twin B woke up with a nightmare and started screaming away. My wife and I managed to calm him down, and I decided to stay in their room with them till “wake up time” as my wife’s had a long day and needed the rest. As soon as my wife closed the door, twin A decided she wanted Mommy and started yelling her head off. I remembered the math trick and went “What’s 2+2?”
It worked like a charm; the screaming ceased by the second question. Though … processing the math also completely woke them up and bedtime ended prematurely 2 hours early. I had to deal with two monkeys jumping and laughing all over me.
Oh well, my wife still got to rest a little longer, so it’s still a win, I guess.”
Psychologists Approve
It’s not just random dads on the internet who support this idea; experts are on board too. Psychotherapist and author Amy Morin explained, “When our emotions rise, our logic decreases. The more emotional we feel, the more difficult it is to think clearly.”
Morin emphasised that a simple math problem encourages logical thinking, which helps reduce emotional intensity. Changing the focus to a math problem will shift your child’s attention and help them regain control.
She advised, “When a child is upset, don’t talk about why they’re upset or why a tantrum is inappropriate. Instead, help them change the channel in their brains and raise their logic. When everyone is calm, you can discuss how the strategy works and how they can apply it themselves when you’re not around.”
So, next time you face a whirlwind of emotions from your little one, remember this simple but effective trick. Engaging their logical side with a few maths questions might be the key to turning those tantrums into calm conversations.
I wonder if this will work on young adults.
