Every kid is mischievous, but it is our job as parents to instill good behavior in our children. However, if you think that you can achieve this by punishing them, you are wrong. Instead, try practicing positive discipline to instill it in your kids. Positive discipline is in line with positive parenting and is focused more on treating kids with trust and kindness rather than verbal or physical punishment to make them disciplined.
1. Be a Positive Role Model
It is a known fact that kids tend to copy the actions of their parents. So try to be a positive role model for your kids, even if it requires you to make some changes in your life. Instead of yelling at others, being tensed all the time or not respecting others, try to incorporate compassion and mindfulness into your life. Your kids will eventually pick up your behavior, making them an overall better individual.
2. Redirect Your Kids
When kids act out, it often gets difficult to handle them. So instead of yelling at them or forcing them to do some new activity, try to divert their mind and attention. Take them outside or to some other room, introduce them to some fun toys or do other fun activities that can grab their attention. Instead of telling your kids what not to do, try to tell them what they can do.
For instance, rather than telling your kids that they can no longer watch TV, tell them to play with their board game next, solve puzzles or do some crafts to engage their minds. Also, keep them in the loop, informing them in understandable terms why you are asking them to switch activities. More often than not, they will understand and cooperate well.
3. Set Clear Rules and Expectations
It is essential to set boundaries, rules and expectations while practicing positive discipline with your kids. You need to make them understand what type of behavior you are expecting from them. Explain to them the consequences of their ‘not good’ act and tell them how certain things need to be done.
For instance, if your child does not put away their toys, gently remind them once. If the toys are still lying around even after you come back from doing your chores, inform them that if they don’t pick them up, you will put the toys away for the rest of the day.
4. Hear Your Kids Out
No matter how busy you are, always put your work aside and listen to what your kids have to say. Sometimes the cause of their crankiness is not being able to understand things, like the instructions for their new toy, the concept of puzzles, etc. Always listen to them, try to understand their problem and solve the issue together with your child. Our undivided attention plays a bigger role than we think it does, so always ensure to attentively listen to your kids.
5. Appreciate Them for Their Good Deeds
Who does not like being appreciated? So if you catch your child doing something good, like putting their books away, tidying up the room after playing, greeting everyone properly, helping others, etc., appreciate their efforts and throw in a little praise to encourage good behavior. Praising them builds their confidence and triggers a virtuous cycle, leading to the little ones trying to do more things that will be appreciated by you.
Teaching positive discipline needs time, patience and a lot of work on your part. It is definitely more work than negative discipline, but it makes your kids more empathetic and responsible and also promotes self-control.
