Module 2 • Behaviour Problems 3.1 Reinforcement Reinforcement is the most important technique to use in dealing with children.
When the child is doing something right, reinforce this behaviour by responding in a positive way. This does not have to be done verbally, but it can also be conveyed in subtle ways, like a smile or a hug.
It is especially important to reinforce a child when trying to change a negative behaviour. Something is being taken away from the child when appropriate behaviour is being changed. The child must realise that for every inappropriate act there is appropriate behaviour. To hit a child because he took your toy is inappropriate, but to ask in a friendly way that he must give it back is appropriate.
In the beginning, it is going to take a lot of time to reinforce positive behaviour, but in the long run the child will learn how to behave.
3.2 Ignoring
This is another technique that may seem like, as a parent or educator, you aren’t doing much to discipline your child, but it is actually quite effective. It requires a lot of patience on your part however, and making sure that whatever it is your little one is doing will not harm herself or anyone else.
This technique usually works best when siblings or friends are arguing over something of little consequence. If they come to you and ask for help, explain that you aren’t getting involved in something they should be able to work out for themselves. Be close by however, in case the situation escalates and you need to step in.
3.3 Time out
Time out can be an incredibly effective tool in a parent’s child discipline arsenal. The idea behind it is simple. If your child begins to behave badly – whether it is not sharing, throwing a temper tantrum, fighting with a
DEFINITION
time–out: a short period of time when a child must sit quietly as punishment for behaving badly
sibling or some other form of poor conduct – you remove the child from the situation, put her in a quiet place away from the action and give her some time to think about her misdeeds. On paper, time outs sound flawless, but sometimes the execution and the situation complicate matters. Here’s how to use this popular child discipline tactic so it works.
1
Understand the idea behind the time out. This method of child discipline is simply to give your child a chance to cool down and think about what he has done wrong. It’s not intended to scare him, just remove him from the situation.
2
Be consistent and timely. Pre-schoolers are definitely of the “right here, right now” type of personality, so it does no good to put them in a time out for something they did five hours or even five minutes ago. The idea is to teach your child that bad behavior now equals a consequence now.
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