Last week I introduced the first 11 of my 22 field-tested strategies for disciplining toddlers. Here are the remaining 11.
- Get down to your child’s level. When you’re talking to your child—specially to criticize—kneel or sit. You’ll still be big enough that he’ll know who the boss is.
- Don’t lecture. Instead, ask questions to engage the child in a discussion of the problematic behavior: “Is smoking cigars okay for kids or not?” “Do you like it when someone pushes you down in the park?”
- Criticize the behavior, not the child. Even such seemingly innocuous comments as “I’ve told you a thousand times…” or “Every single time you…” gives the child the message that she’s doomed to disappointing you no matter what she does.
- Reinforce positive behavior. We spend so much time criticizing negative behaviors and not enough time complimenting the positives. Heartfelt comments like, “I’m so proud of you when I see you cleaning up your toys,” go a long way.
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Photo by Mark Duffel on Unsplash
