What you say can make all the difference in a situation. It’s so so easy to get into the habit of correcting your child by telling them to stop what they’re doing, but if you turn that on it’s head and tell them what you’d RATHER they were doing, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Kids can get into a bit of a funk of doing the wrong thing. Their behaviour can spiral and sometimes they just need some direction. That behaviour is really saying “I’m out of control, I need your help to show me what I can do to feel good”. Kids don’t feel good when they’re misbehaving, they feel good when they’re doing the right thing and being praised, so saying what we DO want them to do is a fast track to praise, especially if we help them get there.

Seen this strategy before? Probably. Teachers up and down the land use this in their classrooms. It’s also a sneaky way of getting that one child who’s misbehaving to follow their peers. They might say something like “I love how everyone’s sitting up straight and ready to listen”. The child who ISN’T doing those things may often hear and quickly follow suit so that they can also get the praise. Magic.

Give this a go. Has it worked for you child before? Let me know in the comments.