How to Influence Positive Behavior in Children

Encourage children's positive behavior to create a happy family.

If you find yourself wistfully observing another family's well-behaved children while your own whine and misbehave, you may be wondering how those parents achieved such positive behavior. Many parents struggle with kids' poor behavior that causes an overall negative environment in their families. Fortunately, children can be encouraged to exhibit positive behavior. Children can obey and display a positive attitude, resulting in happier parents and families. When parents treat their children with positivity, respect and consideration, kids will respond in kind.

Things You'll Need

• Sticker chart
• Stickers

Instructions

1. Create a positive home environment. Provide opportunities for upbeat family activities that engage the children. You may want to schedule regular family game nights or outings to the park. Institute routines for rest and sleep as well as nourishment. Model positive behaviors for your children to follow.

2. Use an authoritative disciplinary style with your children. By explaining expectations, reasoning and communicating with your children, your children will have more positive interactions. Authoritative parents lovingly set limits for their children without excessively controlling them.

3. Introduce a reward system. Encourage one or two desired behaviors at a time. For instance, ask your children to pick up their toys or exhibit a positive attitude everyday without being reminded. Use a sticker chart to keep track of displays of the desired behavior. After a certain number of stickers, reward your children with a small prize.

4. Monitor what your children are watching on television, movies and the Internet. The University of Michigan reports that when children watch positive social content, they exhibit more positive behaviors. Violent media encourages aggressive behavior in children.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep rewards and discipline consistent. If you are using a sticker chart, make sure to add a sticker every single time your child completes the desired behavior. Every family member must be using the same discipline and reward methods. Hungry and tired children may frequently misbehave. Provide snacks and rest time for your children to help them choose positive behaviors.

References

• Family Doctor: Child Behavior: What Parents Can Do to Change their Child's Behavior
• University of Michigan Health System: Television and Children
• North Dakota State University: Keys to Assisting Social Development in Young Children