Here are some ways you can establish positive discipline at home:
• Implement a strong routine at home
• Redirection vs. distraction- redirect their behaviour to something positive
• Set clear expectations- tell them what to do versus what not to do
• Be positive- say yes more often, not no
• Overpraising & rewards- do not overpraise, but do positively reinforce them. Little encouragement goes a long way.
• Invitations, not orders- “come and help me clean up please” vs. “go clean up now”.
• Label & validate their emotions- let them know it is ok to feel *angry/sad/frustrated, etc...*, help them understand what they are
feeling.
• Do no punish your child- it can be an effective short-term solution to a behavior, but they do nothing to help the reasoning and problem-solving skills. A child will need to consistently make good decisions throughout their lives. Time-outs are a form of fear and shame-based punishment.
• Always offer 2-3 choices- give them freedom of choice whenever possible
• Heads up and transitional periods- give them little reminders such as “there’s 5 minutes left before its time to go to bed”.
• Deliver what you say- if you tell them it’s 5 minutes, then its 5 minutes. Do not extend time and do what you said, be realistic.
• Natural vs. Logical Consequences- Natural consequences do not require intervention (i.e. Sarah hits her brother, Thomas, while playing with their toys. Thomas no longer wants to play with her and he takes his toy into another room).
Logical consequences:
(1) Loss of privilege
(2) Removal from situation
(3) Solve the problem (Terrence is playing a board game with his siblings. He gets upset that it is not his turn and starts screaming at
them. Terrence’s father removes him from the room for a time-in in a quieter area).
