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Praise positive behaviours in your child and ignore unwanted behaviours

Praising positive behaviour and ignoring unwanted behaviour illustration

Did you know that you can support your child’s growth and development if you:

Praise positive behaviours in your child and ignore unwanted behaviours.

Why is this important to you and your child?

It helps with your child's communication and personal, social and emotional development

Children learn better in a positive environment. By praising good behaviours your child quickly learns what is expected of them. By praising and encouraging your child it will make them feel good about themselves and become more confident. 

Things you can do

  • Identify 5 actions to praise each day by focusing on the positives and noticing small things, such as smiles, hugs, drinking well. These can all be done before breakfast!
  • Remember that children watch everything you do, so check your own behaviours
  • Offer affection and encouragement
  • Take deep breaths and count to 10, so you don’t give attention to unwanted behaviours
  • Clear boundaries and routines, sleep routine going to bed at more or less the same time each night, regular meals time, getting up in the morning
  • Parents to be consistent in their approach in managing unwanted behaviours 
  • Ignore tantrums when it is safe to do so or distract your child. Anger is a very strong emotion and children need to learn how to control and manage this feeling.
  • Don’t ignore good behaviour, parents fall into the trap of giving attention to problem behaviours and ignoring good behaviours because they are sat quietly or playing nicely, the more praise you give for good behaviour, the more desirable it is for the child to show good behaviour more often.
  • Set clear rules (no more than 3 rules), rules should be fair and easy to follow
  • Create a behaviour chart with your child that they can gain stickers for good behaviour, allow your child to gain rewards regularly for good behaviour, then phase them out gradually
  • Praise can be given verbally alongside physical gestures such as with a high five, pat on the back or a thumbs up

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