Teaching Your Child Positive Behaviors

The ways that you engage with your child can make a big difference in their behavior, especially at a young age. Here are some strategies to help your child embrace positive behaviors: 

Make Household Rules That Your Child Understands

Setting rules and expectations are critical for a child’s behavioral development. “Children who understand that there are well-defined boundaries learn how to self-regulate and to respect limits,” saysHal Runkel, family therapist and author of ScreamFree Parenting. In addition to setting boundaries, it’s important for children to understand why. If a child sees the rules as existing for a reason rather than being arbitrary, they are more likely to follow them. 

When deciding on rules for your family, it’s important to be clear and consistent. Talk to your child about the rules frequently and listen to them if something isn’t working. And make sure that your expectations reflect empathy and kindness. 

Be A Role Model

Children learn from your actions, not your words. So, it’s important for parents to demonstrate positive behaviors and to follow the rules that they set for their children. For example, instead of getting frustrated when your child behaves in a way that challenges you, stay calm and take stock of your emotions. Let your actions reflect the behavior you would like to see in your child. 

Help Children Understand Their Feelings

Children experience a lot of emotions that are difficult for them to understand. Helping your child understand these feelings can impact how they react to them. The most important step you can take is to be open about how you’re feeling and to check-in with your child regularly. This will help their social and emotional development and teach them that it is okay to talk about their emotions.

Another important step you can take is labeling those emotions. When you notice your child is sad or mad, give those feelings a name and help your child understand why they’re feeling that way. You can also use characters in books, movies, and TV shows as a starting point for a conversation about emotions. Ask your child how they think that character is feeling and why they think that.  

At The Foundations School, we understand the importance of social and emotional learning. You can learn more about how we incorporate these ideas into the classroom here.