Parenting Tips

    Sharing is critical to getting along well with others, whether you are 3 years old or 30 years old, but it isn’t always easy to do. 

    Toddlers, who often cannot see things from another person’s perspective, have a particularly hard time learning this skill.  But setting realistic goals for sharing while they play with others will help.

    Don’t worry, in a few short years, they will understand taking turns and have been getting lots of good practice with you along the way

 *  Set a good example by sharing with them and letting them try something you are doing. Offer them part of a snack you are eating or let them help with cleaning.

 *  Select activities that encourage sharing and praise cooperation specifically and often. Building with blocks or modeling clay can be done side by side or together.

 *  Treat each child equally in expecting them to share--old, young, and visitors too. Explain the rules and show the children you expect them to be followed.

 *  Give logical consequences for not following directions and be consistent with reinforcing these expectations every time this step needs to be taken.

 *  Be ready to step in to remind children of the rules and be specific w/ directions without ridicule. Tell them what to stop doing and tell them what to do instead.

 *  Praise your child when he follows directions, shares well, asks politely, and takes turns. Learning to say please and thank you or waiting, even for 2-5 minutes is great!

 

 

                                                                    

PARENTING TIP # 321:

Sharing

Please use these tips as a guide in developing new, positive interactions between yourself and your child, in conjunction with trusting your instincts as a parent who knows your child best. 

PARENTING TIP # 46:

Anger

   It’s Summertime….but when the heat rises outside, sometimes it rises on the inside too.  As we adjust to a different schedule and the daily stress of go, go, go this season, anger can boil up when we least expect it. 

    Here are a few tips for helping your child learn to manage his anger and maybe they will help you too!

· Explain that anger is normal—it’s how we handle it that matters.

· Help your child identify signs of feeling angry—from subtle clues like breathing fast, clenched fists, headache, to obvious ones like stomping or yelling at others.

· Show understanding by saying something like “I can see that you are angry because I won’t let you play until your chores are done.”

· Encourage your child to talk about feelings to find the root of the anger and then have your child make a list of ways to handle anger better.

· Offer cool down techniques to practice and be an example by using them yourself like: count to 10 as you take slow, deep breaths, put thoughts on paper, tear it up.

· Help your child learn to reduce and handle stress by listening to soothing music, exercising, playing with a favorite pet.

· Keep your child healthy with enough rest and nutritious food.

· Limit your child’s viewing of and listening to violence in the media.

·      Remind your child to respect the        rights and feelings of others—just        as he expects them to do with him.