As a parent one of your jobs is to teach your child good behavior etiquettes and discipline. A child spends most of his time with teachers in school and parents. So parents are responsible most to discipline their child in many healthy ways.
When you teach your child discipline it means that they are able to get self control and responsible behavior. The aim to discipline a child is to encourage the child to learn and manage both feelings and behavior. Discipline teaches them how to survive in society with good manners.
The Best Ways to Discipline Child
Here are some healthy ways that you can adopt to discipline your child.
- Let them to speak
- Give them attention
- Set rules and limits
- Give consequences
- Praise them for good things
- Be prepared for trouble
- Use time out strategy
- Not respond quickly for wrong things
Let Them to Speak
Listening is very important because you are a friend of your child and they are more attached to you. If a child has any problem first he will come to discuss it with parents. So it’s a duty of you as a parent to listen to the whole story of a child rather you start to give consequences.
If they are misbehaving, solve it out with patience and time. For instance if a child is getting jealous with someone it’s your duty to talk with him about this matter rather than just giving consequences.
Give Them Attention
Attention is a most powerful tool to overcome any situation of a child. A child needs attention and love. All children want their parents’ attention and with this attention you as a parent can reinforce good behavior in your child and discourage all negative behaviors.
Show interest in what your child is doing, give him a smile and listen to him carefully. Attention is necessary to teach discipline to your child as it builds self esteem and a sense of positive identity.
Set Rules and Limits
Set clear rules and limits your children can follow. The important thing that you have to keep in your mind is that rules and limits should be according to age group.
For example if your child is 5 years old you have to set rules according to his age so that he may be able to understand it. For example, teach your child to wash hands before eating and drink water before meals.
Teach them how to deal with angry feelings in positive ways with others. Teach them how to show respect to others.
Give Consequences
If your child misbehaves or doesn’t listen to you and shows any negative behavior so firmly and calmly explain the consequences to them.
Never step back when you tell them about consequences because when you step back they will not understand you and will not be able to show discipline in any situation. Set clear consequences for them.
For instance, it’s homework time now and your child is playing with toys and not listening to you. Tell him that if he will not put them away you will put them away for the rest of the day and not be able to play with them for the rest of the day.
Praise Them For Good Things
Praising and rewarding is a powerful tool to teach your child discipline and manners. As a parent it’s your job to teach your child what is good or bad for them. Children need praise so you can praise their success or tries.
For instance if a child has eaten his meal and keeps his plate in a basin after completing it, you can praise it by saying that it did a great job by putting your plate in a sink.
When your child is playing nicely with friends or siblings, point it out by saying that you are doing such a great job by sharing and taking turns today.
Be Prepared For Trouble
When your child is facing any trouble, get prepared for it. Prepare them for upcoming activities and how you want them to behave. So prepare yourself ahead for any trouble situation.
Use Time Out Strategy
You can use a time out strategy when any rule is broken. This tool works best for discipline teaching, placing a time out can be a much better alternative. When something is done correctly, time out strategy teaches kids how to calm themselves down, which is helpful for life skills.
By time out when they are removed from a situation they will start to learn how to express their emotions and make different choices in future.
Not Respond Quickly for Wrong Things
Try to ignore mild misbehavior. Not responding quickly for wrong things. Sometimes a child behaves wrong to seek attention from his parents. When your child tries to get attention by complaining, don’t give it to them.
By this they will learn polite behavior and discipline. Ignoring bad behavior can also teach children the natural consequences of their actions because if a child is behaving good then ignoring bad behavior can be an effective way of stopping it.
Losing Privileges
When you teach your child discipline, it doesn’t mean that you punish them for their bad behaviors. The goal is to help them to learn to make better choices for the future. Teach them if they will choose bad things or make poor choices then the consequence is a loss of privilege.
Usually 24 hours is enough to teach your child to learn from mistakes. You might say that you have lost TV for the day but you can earn it back when I will say to complete the homework the first time I ask.
Be Friendly
Always be friendly with your child. When your child feels any difficulty in any situation if you are friendly with him they can easily tell you the matter. So be positive and friendly with your child. Teach them good manners in a friendly way, not a threatening way.
Conclusion:
Discipline is very important in every stage of life. Hope this article will be helpful for you to teach discipline to your child.