Top 5 tips for disciplining your child
Posted on: 15.09.2011
PARENTS (teachers) need to set limits and boundaries. But what do you do when your child is screaming like a wild animal and you just want them to stop?
1) Give kids food and sleep. Tired, hungry and overstimulated children are more likely to throw tantrums. Certain situations -shopping, visiting or mealtimes – might frequently involve temper tantrums. So think of ways to make these events easier on your child. For example, you could time the situations so your child is not tired, eats before you go, or doesn’t need to behave for too long.
2) Distract them: If you can see a tantrum brewing, step in and try distracting your child with another activity.
3) Stay calm, wait out the tantrum and ignore it. Getting angry will most likely make this situation worse. When you speak keep your voice calm and level, and act deliberately and slowly. There is no need to use a “circuit breaker”. Just ignore the behaviour until it stops. And it will stop eventually. Once a temper tantrum is in full swing, it’s too late for reasoning or distraction. Your child won’t be in the mood to listen. You also run the risk of teaching your child that tantrums get your full involvement and attention.
4) Make sure that there is no pay-off for the tantrum. If the tantrum occurs because your child doesn’t want to do something (such as get out of the bath), calmly insist that he does (pick him up out of the bath). If the tantrum occurs because your child wants something, do not give him what he wants. If they throw a tantrum in the shopping centre, or the park, take them home. Be consistent and calm in your approach. If you sometimes give your child what she wants when she tantrums and sometimes don’t, the problem could become worse. Eventually children will get the message and the tantrums will ease.
5) Reward good behaviour. Enthusiastically praise your child when he manages frustration well. And talk to them a few hours later about the tantrum, what went wrong and why screaming doesn’t get them anything.
“Easy to understand ground rules, ignoring minor bad behaviour, logical consequences and time out are all proven and safe alternatives to smacking,” Raising Children Network’s Warren Cann said.
Effective discipline is based on teaching the right behaviour; helping children learn what is expected. This involves instructing, modelling, and praising them when they behave well. From the child’s point of view, its not easy learning new behaviour if the only guidance you get is punishment when you do something wrong.
Source: News.com.au
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