Discipline Strategies for All Ages

Many books have been written about discipline and there are many viewpoints and techniques that have been advocated throughout the years. The most effective method for some parents and children may not be effective for others. Try the methods that seem right for you and if you like the result, incorporate it into your discipline style. Keep in mind, we are parents first, friends second.  This is a very basic outline for building a foundation of discipline that can be used as a starting point.

It's important to begin by "Laying the Foundation" which entails:

1. Mutual Respect. An important thing for parents to remember, is that the children that learn respect, are those that are also being treated respectfully. Children learn what they live. The adults in the family should use the same manners that they expect of their children.

2. Set Expectations & Consequences.  Be firm and clear.  Talk with your child about what will happen if they behave improperly.  Give them examples of a consequence such as "You will be grounded to your room for one hour".  Should it be necessary to implement a consequence then it should be immediate, on the same day.

3. Be Consistent. Follow through with the consequence when needed.  Giving-in communicates to the child that they can get their way by misbehaving.  Reward good behavior with hugs, kisses, stickers and small prizes.  Be sure to let them know you still love them.

The goal of effective discipline is to teach the child how to behave, not to make the child suffer.

When children (ages 2 yrs & up) do not cooperate:

• Get down to their level and make eye contact.
• In a firm and calm voice ask them for their cooperation (i.e. turn the TV off).  Don’t yell from the other           end of the house.
• Give them five seconds to get themselves ready without any further comment.
• Make the same request again and explain the consequence – don’t raise your voice, use the same firm and calm voice.
• If they cooperate, acknowledge this.
• If they do not cooperate, then in a calm voice enforce the consequence.
• Other consequences are quiet time and/or time-out.

When children under 2 years old misbehave, the best technique to resolve the situation is to use redirection.  Infants and toddlers can be easily distracted by providing them with an interesting alternative. For example, a child’s attention can be diverted from playing with your watch to playing with some toy keys. You can distract a child from pulling hair by shaking a rattle.

Another way to divert or redirect a child is simply to take the child’s hand. Guide the child, either away from the misbehavior or toward what you want the child to do.  For redirection to work, there must be choices.  Parents must have an acceptable alternative activity to offer the child.
Redirecting behavior is one of the very best guidance techniques because it turns bad behavior into good behavior.

At Precious Treasures, we like to provide our parents with the support they need to raise healthy, happy children.  We want to be a resource for you, so please come to us if you have any questions about techniques for discipline that might work best for your child and/or circumstances.

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