Creative Kids Child Care believes all kids are perfect, however sometimes their behaviour is less than perfect. Parents have different ideas about what is good and bad behaviour, and what you consider to be bad, might seem completely normal behaviour to other families.
Parents can also act differently to their child’s behaviour – some are stricter, while some parents have more patience. There really is no right or wrong way to deal with children having a meltdown, however if it keeps happening, there could be some ongoing behaviour issues that might need addressing.
Possible reasons for difficult behaviour:
- Any change in a child’s life can be a major upheaval and cause problems in their behaviour. This could be moving house, starting child care or the birth of a new baby.
- Your child may act in a certain way because of the way you handled a problem last time. You may have given your child some chocolate to keep them quiet, and because of this method, they have remembered and now expect chocolate every time they go out.
- Your child may throw a wobbly as a way of getting attention, good or bad.
- Think about when your child is acting up. They could be hungry, tired, over-excited or even bored.
10 positive behavioural tips that may help:
- Act how you want your child to behave. Children watch and learn from their parents, so be your child’s role model and use your behaviour to guide your kids.
- Tell your child how you feel. Look at them, and let them know that their ridiculous behaviour hurts your feelings. Start your sentence with “I”. This lets your child see things from your perspective.
- Go overboard with the praising when your child is being good. Let them know they are an angel and you’re very proud of their behaviour.
- Get down to your child’s level (eye contact) and communicate positively with them. This helps them focus on what you’re saying.
- Say what your mean, and do as you say. A child will learn at a very early age if you don’t follow through on something, good or bad.
- Pick your battles. Before jumping in head first to say “no” or “stop” – ask yourself, does it really matter if he wants to wear a hat in the bath?
- For the older kids, responsibility and consequences are an important one. As kids get older you can give them more responsibility, and with responsibility comes consequences. For example, if they were meant to bring their water bottle home from school but forgot – the next day they will have no water bottle.
- Say it once and move on. No need to keep banging on about it. It only makes the child feel worse.
- Makes sure what your child says, counts. It doesn’t matter if they are just starting child care or a teenager – what they have to say matters too.
- Another way of making the situation better, is to make fun of it. Have a laugh and a joke, however be careful not to poke fun at hour child – a joke that has you both laughing is key.
Encouraging good behaviour at our child care centre right from day care and preschool is a process that is taught. As a Child Care provider our teachers play an important role in guiding our children’s behaviour in a positive and supportive environment. Our common strategy for children’s behaviour in our child care centre is to keep the rules simple, and easy to understand.
For any extra advice, please don’t hesitate to speak to one of our fully qualified child care minders for support and guidance.
Creative Kids Educare Child Care
Biggera Waters QLD 4216, Gold Coast
Tel: (07) 5537 9989