Behavioral problems are common in children. This is because they still don’t have a clear grasp of what’s right and wrong and they’re still unsure about how to express their needs and wants. The key is to recognize these “bad behaviors” early so you can properly guide your toddler and help him improve the way he deals with situations. A good tip is to keep a list of things to do to keep things more focused and more manageable.
Encourage better behaviour in your toddler with these 5 easy steps:
Implement simple and concrete rules
Kids know that rules are important and should be followed, but if your family has over 20 rules that are a mess, both you and your child will get confused at one point. Whittle down the rules to what’s important. Make each rule simple and easy to understand and it’s important to make sure that your child understands the consequence of each rule.
Don’t do timeouts
Thousands of parents try to teach discipline and correct their child’s behaviour through the classic “punishment” – time out. But more and more parents are finding out that timeouts don’t work or don’t lead to better behaviour.
Toddlers are too young to get the concept anyway. He won’t be able to “reflect” on what he did wrong by standing in the corner of a room. Strong-willed toddlers will push back, too, and you won’t be able to achieve anything. Don’t focus on punishment, focus on training.
Avoid saying “no” as much as possible
Kids will have endless of demands, questions and requests throughout a day and our answer to most of them is “no”. While saying no can’t be avoided entirely, try to as much as possible. Find opportunities to say yes and if you must say no, do so by redirecting to a more positive option.
Change your energy around your toddler
Kids will feel better and will likely to have positive vibes when they see you happy and smiling. If you are feeling otherwise, don’t act in in front of your kids. Always be the example that your kids love to follow.
Find the source of misbehaviour
A lot of times, misbehaviour stems from a deeper issue and the sooner you find the cause, the sooner you can correct it. If your child keeps dumping her toys on your desk, it probably means you need to spend more time playing with her.
Follow these tips to encourage better behaviour in your toddler.