Positive Statments
Be SPECIFIC in praise & directions
Be careful of words like “good” “nice” “great” even
“play” and “I love”
Specific praise is more meaningful and fosters selfesteem. Generalized praise does not.
Kids may not know your expectations, explain them.
“Keep the Book Nice”
Encourage kids to be self-evaluative like with #6. “What
do YOU think of your drawing? Explain it to me”
Positive Statements
Be careful of “Let’s” and “Should We?” “You Should”
Let’s is a contraction for “Let us. . .”
Is a borderline question; kid can say no.
Please can be likewise problematic
It can convey respect to they child
The first word you say will be what they focus on the
most. Try to make it an action verb.
In some cases, “Please” can imply a choice/option
rather than a directive.
Positive Statements
Avoid absolutes in most cases.
Always, never, only – they can box you in a corner if you
need to make an exception someday.
Limited Choices can be positively stated. (#7 & #10 are
perfect opportunities)
Limited Choices gives children a bit of the power and
control and helps them establish autonomy.
Make sure you are happy with both options- “Do you want to
wear the apron or get your clothes messy” <- Kids might be
just fine with that.
Solutions to Misbehavior
BIGGEST stumbling block is not both NAMING the
technique and SPECIFICALLY explaining how to
apply it in the situation.
Be able to utilize many Techniques, not just 2-3
Consider the root behind the behavior when
recommending strategy. Also consider the age of the
child.
#19- may just be shy. Might use positive statements.
Solutions to Misbehavior
Younger Kids = Less Attention Span
The younger a child it is, the less explanation they
will be able to retain.
Some techniques don’t even need an explanation,
like with toddlers and redirection
Explain more as they get older so they can learn
the “why” and reason out their own choices
Solutions to Misbehavior
Time out should a last resort option
Only appropriate for #14
Maybe for #13 if Tania has been reminded of the rules. A
better solution is “Time Away”
Definitely NOT a good option for children < 2 yrs old
Different ages should have different interventions
Demonstrate different strategies in #16 & #17
Solutions to Misbehavior
“Making” Children
Making children do things is exercising your power
over them. Much better to find an strategy that
allows them some choice and control
Changing the Environment
If children and misbehaving because the situation
is not appropriate, change things to be more
appropriate.