Who Is the Spirited Child and Why Is It Important to Know?

Key points

Spirited children are typical children, yet more intense, persistent, sensitive, perceptive, and energetic.

Their powerful responses reflect their inborn temperament, their most natural response to the world.

Understanding and working with a child's temperament is essential for building healthy relationships.

The word that distinguishes spirited children is more . They are typical children and yet more intense, persistent, sensitive, perceptive, and uncomfortable with change than other children. All children possess these characteristics, but spirited kids possess them with a depth and range not available to other children.

These differences are apparent in everyday life. A video of the first bath for a spirited child may show her shrieking, her face red, movements jerky.