Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers

To help your child learn new behaviours, notice when he is behaving well. Behaviours to look for include:

• talking in a friendly voice
• picking up his toys
• being patient or staying calm
• sharing
• taking turns
• using words to express feelings

When your child is behaving well, praise your child’s behaviours. When giving praise, it is important to:

• Be specific and label the behaviour. Instead of saying, "That was great!", say "Great job sharing your toy with your friend."
• Praise your child as soon as you notice them behaving well. If your child starts to pick up toys and put them in the toy box, praise right away. You do not need to wait until all the toys are picked up before praising.
• Avoid following your praise with a negative comment such as "Good job talking in a friendly voice. Why can't you talk like that all the time?"

Other ways you can help your child behave well are:

• Role modelling positive behaviours. Your child learns positive behaviours from watching you. Let your child see you showing concern for others, taking turns, staying calm and using manners.
• Labelling your child's emotions to help them learn to express his feelings. Say, "That made you really angry" or "You are really excited."
• Guiding your child to respond appropriately to other children. You could say, "Sarah feels sad that she does not have a puzzle to play with. Can she help you finish your puzzle?"
• Providing opportunities for your child to practice positive behaviours with you and with other children

It will be easier for your child to learn to behave well when they are well rested, alert and calm. It will be more difficult for your child to learn when they are tired, hungry, stressed or sick.

• Have realistic expectations for your child. Children under 3 are not developmentally ready to understand sharing.
• Notice and praise your child when you seem them  sharing. This will encourage him to share again. For example, say “It was so nice of you to share your toy with me”.
• Praise your child as soon as you notice positive behaviours. If your child shares a toy for even a few seconds, praise right away.
• Role modelling. Your child learns from watching you. Let your child see you sharing with others.
• Giving your child the words they  needs to get along with others. Say, “I think Jamie wants to play with that toy.  Can you give Jamie the toy when you are done?”
• Look for opportunities for your child to practice sharing, such as when you play with them.

You can prevent difficult behaviours by:

• Watching your child and looking for signs that they  need a change in activity or want attention from you such as pushing a toy away or whining.
• Trying to understand how your child is feeling and responding with patience. You could say, “You’re feeling tired now, let’s save this activity for later.”
• Helping your child use words to express feelings. Say, "You are frustrated because you want that toy."
• Responding quickly to stop difficult behaviours such as going to a quiet spot and helping your child calm down.
• Distracting your child when they  are showing signs that they  are starting to feel frustrated
• Looking at the behaviours you and others are role modelling. Your child learns how to act by watching how you act at home and with others.

Some other ways to decrease difficult behaviours include:

• having clear rules that your child understands
• being consistent
• staying calm
• having time every day when you can play with your child
• being kind to your child as she is learning
• using consequences for children over the age of three

Behaviours change slowly. Your child needs time to practice and learn positive behaviours. Be patient with your child and yourself as you are both learning to deal with difficult behaviours.

Using rules and commands are important ways to decrease difficult behaviours.

Use commands when you want your child to do something such as, “Please pick up your toys”.
Use rules to let your child know what she can or cannot do. Rules are important to keep your child safe and to avoid harmful situations. A family rule could be “Always put your toys away when play time is done”.

Follow these tips for using rules and commands in your family:

• Limit the number of household rules. A long list of rules is hard to remember for both parents and children.  
• Take into account your child’s age. Your child needs to be able to understand the rules you are using.
• Tell your child what to do instead of what not to do, such as “walk in the house” instead of “do not run in the house”.
• Give one command at a time. Too many commands at one time can confuse your child and make it difficult to follow through.
• Be clear with commands and rules that you use.  Say, “Keep your hands to yourself” instead of “Let’s not do that anymore.”
• Praise your child when she follows rules and commands.

It is normal for children to test household rules. It is important to:

• Be consistent with your rules
• Follow through on consequences
• Stay calm
• Be polite with your child 

You can use logical consequences to decrease difficult behaviours.  Logical consequences are often used with rules.  Decide on rules together as family and then decide what the consequence will be if the rule is not followed.

A logical consequence could be when your child:

• loses a privilege, such as when they colour on the wall, you take away their crayons for a set amount of time
• leaves a fun place, such as when they cannot get along with other children at the park, you leave and go home

When using logical consequences with your child it is important to:

• Talk to your child about rules ahead of time and let your child know the consequence if they  do not follow the rule
• Calmly and consistently let your child know that they did not follow the rule and then follow through with the consequence
• Avoid making further comments about the behaviour after the consequence is given; instead, start a new activity and look for a positive behaviour to praise