Speech Within Reach’s Quick Behavior Tips for Parents
Children begin to absorb information and the world around them as soon as they are born, and parents are on this learning journey right along with them. Parents must find the strategies that work best for their children to learn and grow positively, and find what makes life more enjoyable for each of them. Here are some quick behavior tips to make navigating family life easier for both parents and children.
1. Spend Quality Time
Children are hard-wired to need positive attention and emotional connections, so spending quality time is fulfilling for them, making them less likely to act out with bad behaviors. Playtime, reading books together, fun activities, or talking about your day and communicating with a child are positive experiences for them and you.
2. Positive Reinforcement and Praise
Before focusing on bad behaviors, make sure to praise good ones. Praising and reinforcing even small accomplishments with affection or positive attention encourages the child in their good behaviors. Children develop at different paces, but recognizing those “little victories” can encourage good behavior and keep them on a positive track.
3. Set Boundaries and Make Clear Rules
Consistency, boundaries, and rules provide structure; sticking to them promotes trust between child and adult. A child knowing that you mean what you say allows them to trust you. And, they will follow through on your word.
4. Be The Example
From the time they are infants children watch and learn from their parents, family members, and caretakers. A child will imitate how an adult speaks, acts, and responds to situations and people because copying behaviors is how children learn. Keeping your cool when your child loses theirs keeps from adding to the tension and making things worse.
5. Keep Calm and Carry On
It’s inevitable that tantrums and meltdowns will happen, but how you respond to them can help reduce their frequency and intensity. Growing children want more independence and control over their environment, and tantrums are how they’ll express their frustration over the things they can’t or aren’t allowed to control. Give your child some control where you can, such as choosing which flavor juice they want. Keep off-limits objects out of sight, and distract them with something else they can have; these steps can help curb outbursts.
Children accomplish so much in their earliest years, learning everything from walking, talking, and socializing. While most milestones come with expected age ranges, there is no need to panic if your child is behind on these targets. Speech therapy treats those who struggle with communication challenges, both in speech and understanding communication. Speech Within Reach offers speech therapy for children to adults, via online telehealth speech therapy sessions (e.g., zoom ) that you can experience from the comfort and conveniences of your home. If you think your little one could use some extra help, click here to learn more from us at Speech Within Reach.
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WRITTEN BY:
NICOLE BUTLER, M.A., CCC-SLP/L (ASHA Certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, Founder and Executive Director of Speech Within Reach.)
Speech Within Reach provides in person and telehealth speech therapy for children and adults. We are happy to support your speech therapy needs. Feel free to reach out to us.