Discipline is a method of teaching your child desirable behaviors, says KidsHealth.org, a division of the Nemour Foundation. Too often, discipline carries with it a negative connotation and can be regarded as painful and shameful. Positive discipline uses gentle, nurturing ways to help your child understand and enact the correct behavior. Positive discipline can be used in a variety of ways and situations to provide your child with a happier way to correct his behavior.
Praise and Rewards
Instead of negatively disciplining for unwanted or unacceptable behavior, reward desirable behavior to set a precedence of what is required of your child, says the University of Missouri Extension. Watch for good behavior, and praise specifically. For instance, if you notice your child sharing with a friend, say, "Thanks for sharing with your friend. It makes her happy to play with you." This allows your child to understand why you're praising her, and see the results of her good behavior.
Remedy the Cause
Negative discipline can sometimes be the gut reaction to undesirable behavior, without much thought of why your child is misbehaving. Positive parenting means you address the cause of the behavior as well as stop it. Kids misbehave for a variety of reasons: boredom, lack of attention, anger and even fatigue. Discern the cause of the behavior before issuing a method of discipline. A nap may be as effective as a time out.
Redirect
Redirection takes a child's attention away from the source of misbehavior and points it somewhere else. For instance, a child who is using a ball indoor against the rules can be directed outside, says the Oregon State Extension. Two children who are arguing over the same toy can be stopped by offering two different toys. You might keep a box of distractions that make redirection a quick and painless affair.
Natural Consequences
Purdue University speaks highly of using natural consequences as a method of positive parenting. It gives children the tools to see past their behavior to what their behavior will ultimately cause. Allowing natural consequences to occur can be difficult for some parents; if your child is constantly hitting another child and that child no longer wants to play, it can be hard to allow yours to suffer through the rejection. But ultimately she will see that her actions have consequences, and she'll amend her behavior accordingly.
Consistent Rules
Setting consistent rules, boundaries and guidelines makes it clear to your child what type of behavior is expected, so positive discipline is less about undesirable behavior and more about expectations. Clear rules let your child know beforehand how to act so you don't need to perform "damage control" when undesirable behavior occurs because you haven't set any ground rules. Have a discussion with your child about the rules so there is little question of how he should behave.
