- 1. Focus on active listening
- 2. Establishing boundaries
- 3. Use action cards
- 4. Allow for discourse
- 5. Praise good behavior
- 6. Active assessments
- 7. Burn off excess energy
- 8. Help them understand the importance of consequences
- 9. Give them the right tools
- 10. Emphasize healthy habits
There are 10 vital strategies that parents can use when looking for the best ways on how to discipline a child. You can use these strategies across age groups and provide the right type of positive reinforcement loop that can help your child strengthen good habits.
1. Focus on active listening
A great way to set the right expectations of discipline is to have an active listening mindset. If you focus on listening to what your child is saying in moments of tantrums and outbursts, they may be less likely to use these strategies to get your attention. Through active listening, you can encourage them to use their words clearly.
Active listening is one of the more counterintuitive discipline techniques that shifts the dynamic of a parent-child relationship. The best way to discipline a child or one of the best discipline strategies is to establish that one-on-one connection with them through talking.
2. Establishing boundaries
Having the right sets of boundaries within the parent-child dynamic should also help in strengthening discipline. Your child should know what they can and can’t do within a clearly outlined set of boundaries. By ensuring that you’re rigid about your boundaries, your kids will remain within them.
Consistency is the key to enabling these boundaries to exist within the dynamic as well. By being flexible in certain areas or allowing your children to get free rein in certain areas, you can confuse them about what they can’t do.
3. Use action cards
When looking for ways on how to discipline a 4 year old child or younger, it is important to use flashcards for good behaviors. Kids can understand what actions can get them in trouble and which ones they will be rewarded for. Action or flash cards can help them visually understand right from wrong for a more intuitive approach.
Action cards can also help your kids understand why it is important to be good and to show good behavior. They often reflect stories from other kids’ lives, which they can relate to and imagine themselves in. This makes the idea of discipline a more nuanced and engaging one for younger kids.
4. Allow for discourse
One of the main drawbacks of authoritarianism is the lack of feedback and communication within that approach. You need to have an open dialog of communication with your child, enabling a more open environment of collaborative understanding.
You can have regular open discussions with your kids talking about why their actions weren’t polite or were outwardly rude. You can also ask them why they felt like they needed to act out instead of just talking about what they were experiencing.
5. Praise good behavior
When it comes to establishing rules and guidelines, it is important to reward good behaviors. You need to actively notice and appreciate positive attitudes, behaviors, and acts of kindness in your children. By pointing out their good actions and appreciating them, you can set up a positive loop of good behaviors.
You should also focus on empowering your kids to do more when they have the opportunity. You can encourage them to help their siblings with their homework, help a fallen child, and help set the table. These can help them integrate better without requiring negative reinforcement for the right disciplinary measures.
6. Active assessments
Among different types of assessments, active assessments can also help your kids understand the importance of self-reflection. You can encourage your kids to reflect on their behavior and understand why they acted out. This is a classic strategy when it comes to understanding how to discipline a child in a positive way.
You can also provide the right support to your child when it comes to assessing their own actions. You can empower them to think twice before performing a negative action, giving them the right set of tools to delve deeper into their way of divergent thinking in kids.
7. Burn off excess energy
You may find that your kids are more behaved and calmer when they’ve been out the whole day running around at the playground. Outdoor games for kids can help to burn off the excess energy, they can actively listen to and understand what you’re trying to teach them regarding good behaviors.
You can focus on scheduled play time outside, giving them ample time to run around and get tired. Instead of looking for direct punishments for kids, you could turn the situation around if all your kids wanted was to go outside and burn off energy.
8. Help them understand the importance of consequences
Another important tool in the parenting guidebook is to teach kids about the importance of consequences. You want to approach this topic from the mindset of the impact of a child’s actions, rather than punishing bad behavior. If your child pushes another child down or misbehaves with a puppy, you should immediately talk about how the other person feels.
Talking about consequences will also help them recognize the value of empathy at a younger age. When looking for ways on how to discipline a toddler, this is one of the best strategies to help them understand right from wrong.
9. Give them the right tools
Teaching your kids about understanding their own emotions and helping them deal with each emotion can be a helpful strategy in establishing discipline. You can help them navigate the world of emotions with the right books, novels, stories, and poems for kids.
You can also give them the right strategies to communicate their emotions rather than giving into their impulses. You can set the right rules around fighting, fussing, throwing tantrums, and pushing, so that your kids are able to use their words directly.
10. Emphasize healthy habits
One of the best methods of discipline for kids is to have them participate in healthy habits. You can teach your children to make their beds, eat their vegetables, and do small chores around the house. This can help them establish healthy habits over time, giving them the right foundation to be more disciplined.
It’s important to have them buy into the idea of healthy habits rather than forcing them to become more disciplined. You can encourage them to start small, and focus on making their beds, putting their toys away, and cleaning their rooms.
