Positive Behaviour Management

Getting children to behave "properly" is not rocket science. It is more like a form of alchemy, where you are working with strange and unpredictable elements, and are never quite sure what the outcome is likely to be. However, the more you do it, and the more you learn about the properties of various potentially explosive ingredients, the more chance you have of avoiding disasters! Every child is different, and will react in a different way to particular situations. Effective behaviour management is about being sufficiently empathic to understand exactly what works for each individual child. However, there are certain basic principles that can be applied when trying to modify the behaviour of most children.

1. Catch them being good and give more praise than checks
2. Reward good behaviour with time, treats attention and compliments
3. State clearly what is expected and provide visual clues regarding what to expect them to do
4. Focus on the behaviour you don't like rather than the child
5. Ask the child what he/she thinks the effect of the behaviour is on other people
6. Tell the child how you are feeling as a result of the behaviour
7. Show you may be feeling sad, under the weather, upset etc
8. Be consistent
9. Stay calm - never shout or use violence
10. Reward yourself too!!