An abbreviated version of the popular 8-Weeks to Positive Discipline Series is now on YouTube Intro Introduction to positive discipline Outline Week 1 1.1 Role of emotions and “I” messages 1.2 Giving children empathy week 1 outline Week 2 2.1 Positive Intent2.2 Positive Directions2.3 Descriptive v. Evaluative Praise week 2 outline Week 3 3.1 Choices, … Continue reading 8-Week Positive Discipline Series
Many parents assume that learning the language of positive discipline is a difficult task. When really, it’s not that hard. Good preschool and elementary school teachers are in and out of this language all day long. It’s like learning any new set of language rules; take a new job and you are likely learning new … Continue reading Positive Discipline Language: It’s Easier Than You Think
Charting behaviors like tantrums or aggression is often done by teachers in the classroom, so they can quickly gain a better understanding of what is happening. It is something parents can easily do at home. Charting means keeping detailed and consistent notes about the behavior. If a child were tantruming often in my classroom or … Continue reading How Charting Behaviors Helps: Tantrums and Aggression
The folks who research on praise would like parents and teachers to use descriptive praise and avoid evaluative praise when commenting on children’s behaviors, academics and athletics. What to Say and Why: Descriptive Praise Descriptive praise describes behavior and gives it a label. For behavior, this might be, “you handed a block, that was helpful,” or, … Continue reading Descriptive versus Evaluative Praise
The steps of positive discipline provide parents with a framework for moving through any discipline exchange. For most all behaviors, the idea is to work forward through the steps and consider which are needed or are the best fit. I tend to get through most discipline exchanges with empathy and choices or positive intent and … Continue reading How Discipline Works Backwards for Aggression
I am a firm believer in the steps of positive discipline as a framework for effectively managing most discipline exchanges. An active step is offering your child choices about how, when or where they can do the behavior you want them to do. If you want them to put on a coat you might offer, … Continue reading Finding a Balance in Offering Children Choices
If you’ve had to discipline the same behavior several times, it is time to start coaching. Coaching is teaching your child about better behaviors, and it’s focused on what you want them to do. For this to be most effective, coaching should be engaging and fun. There are so many ways to shape behaviors, but … Continue reading 12 Ways to Coach Good Behaviors
Before the discipline, here’s a link to a previous post about ways to enjoy grocery shopping with your kids by age: https://parentingbydrrene.com/2013/06/02/successful-grocery-shopping-with-children/ Discipline Scenario: Your three-year-old wants to walk at the grocery store, but repeatedly pulls things off the shelf onto the floor. Proactive discipline techniques: Positive directions – This is a reminder to tell … Continue reading Steps of Positive Discipline : A Grocery Store Example
When children are tantrumming often, parents just want it to stop. Part of stopping tantrums is working to prevent them in the first place. Teaching your child emotion language and knowing their triggers and cues can go a long way towards prevention. Children need emotion language to better express their upsets. When they can label … Continue reading Preventing Tantrums : Emotion Language, Triggers and Cues
Young children grabbing toys from each other is a common exchange. If your child grabs toys often, it’s good to be prepared. There are ways to best address this behavior before, during and after it happens. While I wouldn’t expect a parent to use all of the ideas below at once, some combination of several … Continue reading Discipline Language for Grabbing Toys
Parenting by Dr. Rene 