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Step 1
Avoid yelling or hitting. This teaches the child that aggression is acceptable, and can lead to more behavior problems in the future.
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Step 2
Use positive reinforcement. Rather than giving attention to negative behaviors constantly, compliment positive behavior. Since attention is what toddlers crave, even negative attention is a reward.
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Step 3
Withhold privileges. For instance, take away a favorite toy, a trip to the park or television time. This is discipline without negative attention.
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Step 4
Show children the consequences of their actions. These include the natural consequences, such as breaking a toy so it can't be enjoyed, and logical consequences, such as if toys are not put up, then they will be put away and can't be played with.
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Step 5
Use time-outs. This gives the child a chance to think about the questionable actions and calm down. Time-outs are generally the same length in minutes as the age of the child. They are only effective after 2 years of age, as younger children will not understand this form of discipline.
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Step 6
Try ignoring a misbehaving child. This form of discipline is known as extinction, and requires that no attention is given when the undesired behavior is performed.
Comments
shamoon said
on 7/29/2009 I really like your discipline system; very simple yet effective. I have had lots of advice that seemed too trivial for me, but I always liked these techniques. It is hard for toddlers to sometimes understand what we are saying, so they learn through our words and actions. It is very important, as you described in Steps #1 &2, to avoid losing your temper because your toddler can learn from your behavior, and their next fit will be worse.