annoyed

Feeling annoyed is not a very nice feeling. There are usually four  factors involved in something that makes you feel this way. 

1) it is unpleasant but it won’t harm you physically

2) it happens now and again – it is intermittent so you are not “used to it” 

3) it persists for a while

4) it affects your ability to relax, it is distracting

How to explain ANNOYED to children

“Sometimes you might find something or someone annoying.  It might be a noise that you don’t like, or it might be something that a person is doing. It is not nice for you. And it keeps going… 

Being annoyed is a feeling that can make you feel angry. 

Not everyone feels annoyed  by the same things as you.” 

Then give some examples:   * “One day a fly came into my house and kept buzzing and buzzing around the windows. I felt really annoyed by the fly.  I found the noise annoying.”

Managing the feeling

Like any feeling, if it isn’t a nice feeling, it can help to say how you feel.  “I feel annoyed because…”

If a person is annoying you, it is often a good idea to tell them.  Sometimes they might not realise they are annoying you, so try and stay calm. Don’t get too angry! 

You might make a bit of an angry face and try and use a bit of an angry voice.  Tell the person what you want them to stop and tell them it’s annoying.  You might say,  “Stop making that noise please –  it’s annoying me.” 

If the person doesn’t want to stop, you might have to move away from them. 

Sometimes the annoying thing isn’t a person, so we can’t make it stop. An example is a buzzing fly.  Sometimes we need to think “How can I make this not so annoying? I could  go into another room. Or maybe I could put on some music so I couldn’t hear the annoying fly.”

Language to explore

  *Explore the words ANNOYING and ANNOYED.   Use both in a sentence.

The following idioms relate to being annoyed and  are great to discuss with primary-school aged children: 

*That really bugs me.      *That gets on my nerves.    *That drives me up the wall. 

Also, if  you are a little bit annoyed, you may say that you are IRRITATED.  Things that annoy you are IRRITATING. 

Time to imagine

 Here, Coco is feeling annoyed by another koala.  What could Coco do? 

Relate it to the child

  When have you felt annoyed?   What did you find annoying?  What annoys you? 

This week

Think of something that annoys you. Can you draw a picture of it?