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| Main > Parenting Tips > Discipline Guide > Encouraging Good Behavior
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Encouraging Good Behavior
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The first step to better discipline is to learn to encourage good behavior in your child. It is much easier to reinforce good behavior than to have to try and change bad behaviors. Here are some tips for encouraging better behavior:
Reinforce good behavior by offering praise when he does well and learn to pay positive attention to your child. Children seek approval for the things that they do, especially from their parents. Let your child know if he is following the rules or has done something, or made an effort to do something that you wanted. Give him a hug, kiss or smile if he has been sitting quietly, completes a chore without problems, or is playing cooperatively. Also give verbal signs of approval, such as ‘Great Job,' or ‘I like it when you…' Be sure to comment on specific behaviors or actions.
Give him choices. This allows your child some feeling of independence. For example, offer a choice between setting the table or taking out the trash.
Make good behavior fun. Your child is more likely to comply if he is enjoying himself. For example, say ‘let's see who can pick up the most toys.'
Establish a reward system to promote good behavior.
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| Looking for help learning to discipine your strong-willed or difficult child? Read our review of Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child, a great resource for parents looking for help to learn how they can understand and effectively discipline their children, especially if they are strong-willed or can be described as 'challenging, difficult, spirited, stubborn, hell-raising, a pistol or just plain impossible.' |
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Discipline Internet Resources:
- Discipline and Your Child: AAP parent's guide to discipline, explaining the difference between discipline and punishment, how to encourage good behavior, tips to avoid trouble, and strategies that work, including using natural consequences, logical consequences, withholding privileges and time-out. Plus six tips to make discipline more effective and information about why spanking is not the best choice.
- Disciplining Your Child: Information from kidshealth.org about disciplining your children at different stages of their life and a word about spanking.
- Guidance for Effective Discipline: American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on discipline using a developmental approach, plus strategies for effective discipline and punishment.
- Effective Discipline for Young Children: Learn to understand children's behavior better, how to prevent misbehavior, how to deal with misbehavior, that discipline helps children learn how to behave, that there are many acceptable ways to discipline children.
- Discipline Facts: 'Helping a child to behave in an acceptable manner is a necessary part of raising the child well. Discipline varies at different ages. There is no one right way to raise children, but child and adolescent psychiatrists offer the following general guidelines...'
- BabyCenter Discipline Articles: Articles to help you discipline your baby and toddler.
- Behavior Problems and Solutions: Articles to help you discipline your preschool and school age children, including discipline strategies, and dealing with behavior problems at home, school, and at play.
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