Being a parent is one of the most beautiful experiences the world has to offer. Hearing their first word, getting crafts made in school, seeing the way they reach up for you—these are moments that will be cherished forever.
On the opposite side of this parental joy spectrum are temper tantrums, fits, and fights.
The times that your children are misbehaving can be testing. Be prepared to know how to discipline your kids the right way by reading this guide!
Explore Your Options
There’s no clear winner when it comes to the various options for disciplining kids. What may work well for some families may be disastrous in others.
Go ahead and explore these options to find out what methods work best for you and your children. You’re even able to combine these methods for a more effective approach to discipline.
Time Out
A classic in the child discipline universe. In a time out, your kid takes a break alone to think about what they’ve done.
Make sure that you communicate with your child why they’re being disciplined. After the time out, ask your child if they reflected and what they could do better next time.
Problem Solve
Often, children act out because they are frustrated that they can’t communicate.
One way to discipline your kids is to help them figure out why they got frustrated, and work towards strengthening that skill. This way, they have the tools to deal with the situation and how to overcome it.
Ignore
When your kid isn’t doing something dangerous, you can discipline by ignoring them. A lot of bad behavior that children do is for attention, so if you don’t acknowledge it, it may stop.
Lose Privileges
From the beginning of the punishment, you should be clear with your child about what was taken away, and what they can do to get it back. If they aren’t improving their behavior, they don’t get the privilege back.
Natural Consequences
In this method, you don’t intervene. You let them encounter the natural consequence of their negative action.
If the consequence of that action is harmful, choose another approach.
Highlight Good Behavior
Pay attention and praise your child when they’re behaving well.
Highlight good behavior by praising or rewarding your child. Praising would be telling your child you’re proud of something they did. Rewarding would be giving them something for their good behavior, like a candy bar if they’re quiet in the store.
Stay Age-Appropriate
Discipline for a ten-year-old is going to look very different than that of a toddler.
To discipline your kids the right way, make sure you stay age-appropriate. If the disciplinary action requires a higher level of thinking, it may not be suitable for young toddlers.
If you’re not sure what’s appropriate for your child’s age, recruit some help! These child care resources and referrals can be helpful.
Set Clear Rules
One creative way to discipline your child is to avoid preventable bad behavior altogether. This isn’t a possibility in every situation. Clear rules and boundaries can help your child better determine right from wrong.
How to Discipline Your Kids Successfully
Think you have a better grasp on how to discipline your kids successfully at any age? It takes a lot of practice and dedication on both your part and your children’s parts to turn bad behavior into good.
Follow these tips and you’ll have perfectly behaved (well, almost) children in no time. While you enjoy your newfound peace and quiet, take a look at our other helpful articles!