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| Notes From Lisa's Workshops |
| This is just a brief excerpt from a workshop - to learn more you can take an online course, come to a workshop or schedule a program for your parent or teacher group! |
| Want to know more? You can take an online course, come to a workshop or schedule a program for your parent or teacher group! |
| Top 10 Preventive Discipline Techniques for Parents:
compliments of everychildfirst.com 1. Get in touch: Children who are cuddled, hugged and stroked are calmer and gentler with others. 2. Model gentleness and politeness: Children model what they see and hear –so we all need to practice what we preach! If the adults in their lives yell, or curse, or are sarcastic, that is how children learn to express themselves. 3. Be alert and be consistent: Notice what they’re doing and respond with praise or redirection every time. If it’s let slide, children learn that we don’t REALLY mean what we say and stop listening to us. 4. Focus on the positives: Tell your child at least 10 times every day why they’re great! Even more importantly, tell them they should be proud of themselves and why – this builds self-discipline and self-esteem at the same time! 5. Check the schedule and prepare: Be sure you have plenty of time to avoid rushing, and plan for waiting time with healthy snacks and simple toys or games. Don’t expect children to be able to wait patiently for long periods of time – many adults don’t have this skill mastered! When getting ready for school, preparing as much as possible the night before & getting up 10 minutes earlier can make the difference between a calm morning and chaos – and remember your child will bring their chaotic feelings into the classroom with them! 6. Plan for comfort: Remember to consider your child’s schedule for eating & sleeping and keep them physically & emotionally comfortable. Getting plenty of sleep is the best way to help your child have a great start to their day. 7. Avoid over structure: Children need to relax too, and become stressed when going from activity to activity without down time. Just remember, TV is not the best relaxation tool because it can be over stimulating and doesn’t allow children to use up some of that seemingly endless supply of energy – playing with their toys or going outside for some unstructured fun is always a healthy choice! 8. Avoid crowds: Too many people in the room, too many children playing together and too much stimulation can all lead to a distressed child. Everyone needs some quiet alone time, so be sure to build it into the day. Reading, drawing, playing with blocks – all are great “destressers” for the overstimulated child. 9. Teach assertiveness to aggressiveness: Teach your child to say “Stop you’re hurting me!” or “Keep your hands to yourself” when someone is hurting them, before they ask a grownup for help – you won’t always be there! 10. WAIT! : Help your child learn important problem solving skills by empowering them to handle conflicts. Give them a chance to figure it out first – your answer may not be what they wanted anyway– and praise them if they handled it well, or offer guidance for next time if they need it. and a bonus tip: 11.PLAY! Let them take the lead as you take time to just play with your children - their bond with you will strengthen and help them stay positive when you do need to enforce rules. |