As a parent or other adult who cares for a child or children, it is your responsibility to guide children toward correct behaviors. To guide a child, you must use effective discipline techniques that teach your child to be responsible, to make good choices and to develop his self-control. Physical force and negative verbal feedback should not be used to discipline your child. Rather, focus on positive discipline that takes your child's developmental level into consideration.
Prevent Misbehavior
You can take steps to prevent misbehavior if you understand why your child misbehaves. According to the Kids Growth website, your child may misbehave for many reasons, including to test your limits and rules, to try to adjust to the different expectations between home and school, when she does not understand the rules or faces rules beyond her developmental ability, to assert independence, when bored or not feeling well, when she has not received proper information or experience, when misbehavior has been rewarded in the past or when copying the behavior of a parent. If you can identify the reason for your child's misbehavior you may be able to prevent the misbehavior from reoccurring by addressing the underlying cause.
Redirection
If your child is not following rules or misbehaving, you may be able to put a stop to the misbehavior by redirecting his attention. The University of Missouri Extension recommends getting your child's attention and quickly introducing a new activity to redirect his misbehavior to something more appropriate. For example, if your child has difficulty sharing, you may tell him to help you with an easy task such as watering the plants, while also stating that it is someone else's turn with the toy your child was resistant to share.
Logical and Natural Consequences
When a child misbehaves and cannot be redirected, the logical and natural consequences of her behavior may teach her not to repeat the misbehavior. According to the Provider-Parent Partnership of the Purdue University website, natural consequences occur without adult intervention and teach your child a lesson. For example, if your child does not eat her dinner she will be hungry at bedtime. This natural consequence will show your child that she should eat her meals.
Logical consequences, on the other hand, require adult intervention. The Provider-Parent Partnership of the Purdue University website explains logical consequences as consequences implemented by the adult that directly relate to the child's misbehavior. For example, if your child throws blocks around the room, take the blocks away from your child for the day.
Time Out
A time out should not be used as punishment, according to the National Network for Child Care. Instead, a time out should be used as a break in activity where your child faces boredom in lieu of misbehavior. This technique can be used with multiple children as well. If two children are arguing over a toy, explain that both children are not behaving properly by sharing and have both children take a time out. The length of the time out should be age appropriate and you may choose to use one minute for every year of the child's age. When time is up, tell the children that play may resume if the children are ready to cooperate. This phrasing puts the decision to behave in the hands of the child.
