Children often demonstrate a plethora of different behaviours, but what happens when their bad behaviour overrides their good behaviour? Typically, if a child is displaying bad behaviour regularly, it could be because the child is hurting in some way. He or she may be signaling that they need a stronger connection to us, or that perhaps they have some big emotions they need help with according to Dr. Laura Markham, PH.D.
With that understanding, we can easier “read between the lines” when our child or children start acting up. Some examples include:
- arguing with you. You’ve asked your child to clean their room, and they argue back that it will just get dirty again.
- interrupting you when you are speaking with a friend or another mom.
- complaining about the food you make.
- throwing a tantrum in the store when you don’t buy your child what they want.
- being ungrateful for toys or surpices you’ve gotten for your child.
- whining for you to do things for them like get them water.
Breaking a bad beahvioural pattern is more than possible, however, it will take patience and consistency. The key is to start immediately – it can take up to 3 weeks to break the behaviour!
5 Ways to Transform Bad Behaviour in Your Child
Walk the walk.
If you tell your children the repercussions of bad behaviour, and they still do it, uphold your promise to them. If you say you are going to take away the toy, then take away the toy. Don’t give them another chance because you are training them to continue keeping up the bad behaviour!
Another example of walking the walk is if you nag your children, they will turn around and whine in order to get what they want. After all, you’ve been doing it to them all along!
Don’t react to their reactions.
Responding to misbehavior is how many children receive attention from their parents (especially busy ones). Whining loses its appeal when mommy or daddy don’t respond to it. It can be hard to do, but it is worth it in the end.
Validate good behaviour.
Instead of always yelling at them for bad behaviour, instead make a BIG deal when they do something good. Praise them when they get ready for school on time, or when they finish all their food without complaining. Praise them when they share their toys. Be sure to pay attention to when they are being little angels!
Be consistent.
Don’t punish a behaviour one day and let it slide the next day. Be consistent with your discipline style.
Spend time with your children.
Make special time for you and your kiddos to be together. And no, not just when watching T.V. Plan a day at the park, pack a picnic, go swimming together or something. Children look forward to playing with their parents – so set some time aside and play with them! They will love the attention and you get some downtime with them!
Keep in mind that kids resist change but remember that you are the boss. You are the parent and the rule-maker. Be patient through their resistance, stay calm and focused, and be consistent and you will succeed!
About Little Human Scholars School in PJ
Little Human Scholars is an all-in-one childcare solution. It is a preschool, playschool, kindergarten, nursery and full day daycare centre (with extended hours) located in the heart of PJ.
In fact, the location is one of the things which makes Little Human Scholars so sought after – it is conveniently nestled near Jalan Gasing, University hospital, PJ Old town, PJ New town, Jaya One, Jaya33, and the PJ IT Mall.
The best part is LHS has premiere services many other schools in PJ don’t offer such as full day daycare with extended hours, CCTV access for parents, and a nifty little phone app called Toddlytic which provides parents with automatic updates on their child’s development, behaviour and health checks.
With full-time guards always present at each of their locations, access to CCTV (which is in every room except the office, bathroom and kitchen areas), and very strict pick-up and drop-off rules, Little Human Scholars treats every child who walks into its hallways as one of their own children!
This place has it all: location, safety, health, IGSCE curriculum and play-based learning. What more could you ask for? Did I mention they also have transportation services and offer meal plans for students? It doesn’t get any better than that.
If you are interested in a tour of one of our centres (that’s right, there’s more than one), all you need to do is fill out the form here or call +6017-7303-025 and an LHS administrative staff will get back with you shortly!
Cheers,
Jana Moreno