What Can You Do About a Preschooler's Behavioral Issues?
Good behavior is not just important at home; it is also essential to your child's education. When your child attends preschool, poor behavior could be disrupting to his or her classmates and preventing your child from learning what he or she needs to know before leaving preschool. To help your child put his or her best behavior on display in school, you need to encourage good behavior at home. Here are some ways you can do so.
Model Good Behavior
As your child's first teacher and role model, it is important that you set a good example of good behavior at home. At this age, your child is more likely to mimic those behaviors he or she witnesses you doing than those you only talk about doing. For instance, if you want your child to remain calm and respectful of others, he or she will have trouble doing so if you are not practicing good manners yourself.
Whenever you or another adult practices good behavior, point it out to your child. For instance, if the other parent says "please" and "thank you" when asking for and receiving an object, point this out to your child. Your child will understand that this is a behavior that he or she should be modeling.
Practice Being a Good Communicator
One of the reasons that young children act out is that they have trouble expressing their emotions. To help your child work through his or her communication-related frustrations, practice good communication skills with him or her.
For instance, work with your child on listening. Remember, modeling the behavior is important. Take time out to listen to your child and give him or her all your attention during conversations. When your child has finished speaking, summarize and repeat what he or she said so that your child knows that you were listening. Whenever you are speaking to your child, ask him or her to use the same communication techniques.
When you do discuss situations with your child, try to avoid being judgmental and keep the conversation positive, if possible. If your child is exhibiting bad behavior, talk to your child about the emotions that he or she is feeling in that moment. Encourage your child to express himself or herself through words the next time instead of actions.
Your child's preschool teacher can also help you identify other ways to help your child overcome behavioral issues. Find preschools who may be able to give you further advice by visiting various centers' websites or clicking here.