Encouraging Good Behavior
Encouraging Good Behavior
Imagine starting a new task. You have a guide who only tells you when you are doing something wrong. The task quickly becomes frustrating because you are only given feedback on what you shouldn’t be doing. It would be much easier if the guide helped you understand what is expected. Now imagine being a toddler. All tasks are new.
As parents, we help our children navigate through every day experiences. We serve as guides, cueing them on how to behave and how to treat others. Positive reinforcement is a valuable tool for helping children understand what is expected of them. Positive reinforcement is very simple; if a behavior is desired, reward it. The best way to insure that a behavior will be repeated is to reward that behavior. This is not to suggest that a child should get a prize for every good behavior. A simple, “nice job sitting quietly!” will do. Positive reinforcement can be used to reduce an undesired behavior, too. For example, a child throws objects on the floor. You want this behavior to stop. You can either punish the child for throwing the object or you can find a replacement behavior and reward it. Encourage the child to give the object to you and reward him when he does. The child is more likely to hand you an object the next time around than he is to throw it. A little positive reinforcement can help a toddler understand how he should behave. It is concrete and direct and the child will quickly link the behavior to the reward. It is a guide for encouraging good behavior while he navigates through a big, new world.
by Tammi Reynolds
Imagine starting a new task. You have a guide who only tells you when you are doing something wrong. The task quickly becomes frustrating because you are only given feedback on what you shouldn’t be doing. It would be much easier if the guide helped you understand what is expected. Now imagine being a toddler. All tasks are new.
As parents, we help our children navigate through every day experiences. We serve as guides, cueing them on how to behave and how to treat others. Positive reinforcement is a valuable tool for helping children understand what is expected of them. Positive reinforcement is very simple; if a behavior is desired, reward it. The best way to insure that a behavior will be repeated is to reward that behavior. This is not to suggest that a child should get a prize for every good behavior. A simple, “nice job sitting quietly!” will do. Positive reinforcement can be used to reduce an undesired behavior, too. For example, a child throws objects on the floor. You want this behavior to stop. You can either punish the child for throwing the object or you can find a replacement behavior and reward it. Encourage the child to give the object to you and reward him when he does. The child is more likely to hand you an object the next time around than he is to throw it. A little positive reinforcement can help a toddler understand how he should behave. It is concrete and direct and the child will quickly link the behavior to the reward. It is a guide for encouraging good behavior while he navigates through a big, new world.
by Tammi Reynolds
8/23/2005
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