There are many reasons why your child may be hitting. It could be related to difficulty communicating, an inability to process emotions, a desire to push boundaries, or they could be attempting to exert power, (among many others). As you try to determine the why behind the behavior it’s important to be consistent with your approach.

1. Remember to remain calm and intervene every time it occurs. Take a deep breath and repair with care.

2. Demonstrate a behavior they can do instead of the aggressive one.

3. Remind your child that hitting hurts. If necessary, remove your child from the situation. It’s not fair for others to be hit and sometimes taking a step away is an important preventative behavior.

4. Use the calm and peaceful times as an opportunity to teach new behaviors. Naughty behaviors can feel extremely overwhelming. Whenever I’m trying to correct an unwanted behavior in my children or my students I often turn to books for some assistance. Age appropriate books can offer examples that make sense to your kids.

Here are 9 books to help your child to stop hitting.