Does your child argue and throw fits? Mine do, all four of them! Its not an easy task to learn how to break bad behaviors. Part of getting your child ready for school is making sure they have the skills needed to get along well with others and to follow directions in a classroom setting. This can be particularly challenging, especially with children who are new to going to school. Kindergarten is an age when many children are questioning authority and learning a sense of self.
How to break bad behaviors in your child before they start school
Related: Preparing Your Child for Preschool: How You Can Help
First, identify the bad behavior. It sounds simple enough, but many parents overlook or downplay certain behaviors when they are home with their children all day. Some of these behaviors will get the child in trouble at school, so it’s important to acknowledge them, then work to resolve them.
Start replacing bad habits with positive habits. Sometimes young children do bad things because they don’t know any better. If you want to break a bad habit, you can try replacing it with a positive habit instead. Identify bad habits in your child and show her how to replace it with a good habit. Now practice it together for at least 30 days. It takes time to unlearn a bad habit and it takes time to reform a new habit.
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Encourage open, healthy communication. Many issues with children this age revolve around communication. If your child doesn’t like being touched or sharing his favorite toy, he might lash out and scream, hit, or bite. You need to teach your child how to communicate his feelings. For example, “This is my favorite toy and it’s special. I don’t like people touching it.” Or, “I don’t like it when you touch my hair” are good phrases. Practice this open communication at home regularly so your child knows how to do it at school and with peers.
Teach consequences for behavior. This is one of the most important things your child can learn before starting school. There are consequences for every behavior and bad behaviors can have negative consequences. This will happen in the school setting, where there are rules to follow, and you need to be sure you are modeling that at home as well.
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Do you have other tips on how to break bad behaviors in kids? Id love to hear about them. Drop me a comment below.
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