Managing Children's Behaviour

Theres a stack of books and programs on managing children's behaviour. They may all be good, each in their own way, but which technique to use?  Count to 3, time-out, rewards? Arrgh! Its easy to feel overwhelmed. 

Here is one big fat juicy strategy that cuts to the chase. Its my all-time favourite.

1. Model what you want to see.

Managing strong emotions, empathy, sharing, gentle touch, manners, humour, playfulness, and perseverance – these are some of the life skills we want to see our kids develop. They don’t happen in a vacuum. All children need to see these life skills modelled – they can’t grow something they haven’t seen, and wont see the value of the skill if they don’t experience the benefits. To make it an everyday behaviour, it needs to be everyday for the parents too. Social skills are learnt through the day-to-day experiences of family members rubbing up against one another in the home. 

Naturally a high-energy kid might find it hard to use their voice or hands gently; or a child with vivid imagination may lose themself in play and forget to take turns with a toy. Each child is born with a unique temperament and talents that make some skills more challenging to develop than others – that’s diversity. It makes sense that each child will naturally express their skills with varying success, but all children need an example to follow.

         “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, 
                              it is the only means.” ~ Albert Einstein

For other tips on behaviour, download a free eBook titled 
Behaviour 10 Top Tips

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