Discipline Techniques for Daycare Providers
How Child Care Workers Can Encourage Positive Behavior in Kids
Jul 19, 2009
Young kids will get into tiffs, misbehave, and sometimes refuse to do what adults ask. So the role of a daycare provider is more than just caring for the youngsters who attend the program. Child care providers also have the responsibility of using effective discipline techniques to teach kids how to control their impulses, and help guide them in the right direction.
Redirection
When a young child throws rocks outside, turning his attention away from the undesirable behavior and redirecting him to a more appropriate activity can be an effective discipline technique for a daycare provider to use. Redirection allows child care workers a way to detour kids from inappropriate actions, while at the same time, giving them access to more appropriate alternatives.
Positive Reinforcement
Adults are quick to discipline when kids do something wrong, but they rarely acknowledge when youngsters follow the rules. This can sometimes cause kids to act out in an attempt to get attention from the caregiver. When positive reinforcement is used as a discipline technique by daycare providers, it can curb undesirable behaviors by giving kids attention when they do things right, as opposed to focusing on everything they do wrong.
When the kids in the classroom sit down properly during circle time, address the children as a group or as individuals by saying something such as, “Wow! I like the way Jacob is sitting quietly on the carpet.” This gives young children a clear indication of what’s expected of them, and encourages them to exhibit positive behaviors more often.
Time-Out
If time-out is used properly, it is a very effective discipline technique for daycare providers to use. During time-out, the misbehaving child is removed from the situation, and put in a chair to provide him with a controlled way to regain his composure. Time-out should last one-minute for each year of a child’s age. So if the child is three-years-old, he’ll stay in the time-out chair for a total of three minutes – any longer, and he may forget why he was place there in the first place. Use time-out as a last resort because if the method is overused, its effectiveness will diminish.
When using time-out as a discipline technique, don’t just stick the child in the time-out chair and leave him to his own devices. Explain to the young child in simple terms why he is being disciplined, and then make classroom behavior expectations clear.
The responsibility of guiding children is an important one. And with the help of discipline techniques such as redirection, positive reinforcement, and time-out, daycare providers can teach kids to manage their emotions, and give them a gentle push in the right direction.
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