10 Most Effective Ways to Discipline Young Children

Children may be born sweet and innocent angels, but they never stay that way for long. Before you know it their actions and reactions go from cute to horrifying, and you may find yourself in a bit of a conundrum over how to react. While parents don’t like to be forced to discipline their young children, it is part of the job, and kids need direction from their parents to know the difference between right and wrong behavior. Kids aren’t the only ones who need some guidance though; sometimes parents do too, especially when it comes to the most effective types of discipline. What should they do when their kids are acting up? Here are 10 of the most effective ways to discipline young children.

1. Consequences –Children need to learn at an early age that there are consequences for bad behavior and also what to expect when they act up. Just be sure that the punishment fits the crime.
2. Boundaries – Parents should set age appropriate boundaries for their children and effectively communicate to them what they are. If they’re too young for a certain piece of playground equipment, let them know not just that it’s off limits for now, but also why it’s off limits. Kids won’t know they’re misbehaving if they don’t know what their limits are.
3. Consistency – Discipline won’t be effective unless parents are consistent. Young children will always be testing their limits, and if you continually change the way you react, they’ll never know if they truly are doing something wrong or not.
4. Immediate – Be sure to correct bad behavior right away instead of waiting. Young children will get confused as to why they’re being disciplined unless you do it immediately. If you wait, they may have already forgotten what they did wrong.
5. Time out – A tried and true method of discipline is the good old time out. This gives young kids a chance to calm down while being removed from the situation. Once they’re ready to behave they can return to their activities.
6. Ignore – Sometimes the best way to deal with your child is misbehaving or throwing a tantrum just to get attention is simply to ignore it. This can also be a good idea for minor or harmless behavior like fidgeting or whining. By not getting the desired reaction out of you it can help them realize it was pointless to act that way.
7. Redirection – Instead of punishing bad behavior, change the activity to something more acceptable. Redirection is an effective way to discipline young kids who may not be fully aware of their misdeeds. If they’re coloring on the furniture, give them paper or a coloring book to use instead.
8. Rewards and praise – It’s important to reinforce good behavior by giving plenty of rewards and praise. Continually receiving praise for good behavior can help discourage bad behavior. This positive reinforcement should be started at an early age.
9. Be firm and calm – Parents need to be firm and calm when disciplining small children. Flying off the handle about something will only frighten the child instead of correcting the problem.
10. Patience – Of course patience is the biggest ingredient to effectively disciplining young children. Some kids are stubborn, some take longer to learn, and some will go out of their way to purposefully try your patience. It takes time for proper discipline to take effect.

Young children are naturally impulsive and curious, so it’s important that parents set guidelines and discipline standards for both their safety and development. They also need to learn what is and is not acceptable behavior when interacting with others. All this takes well thought out and effective discipline methods starting at an early age that are applied consistently as they grow. By using these techniques parents can help their young children to grow into well behaved young adults.

Taken From Nanny Jobs