by Beth Stillman

Created on: February 16, 2009

Disciplining a young child can be unpleasant for both the child and the adult who has to do it. However, disciplining a young child is crucial to helping him become socialized, aware of appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior, in order to adapt to the outside world. It also teaches him self regulation skills, where he can learn when he needs to take a break from stimulation before something gets out of hand.

When disciplining a child under the age of five:

Do:

Choose your battles with a child. They are going to be loud, messy, and rambunctious at times, and need time to be a kid.

Notice and praise the child whenever he is helpful or compliant. This teaches him what behavior you want to see.

Give the child one warning before punishing him. Once he disobeys again, its time for time out.

Clearly state what the behavior that needs correcting is.

Designate a "time out" space that is away from all fun and reinforcing activities, such as on a chair facing a wall or a corner, or on a set of stairs.

Set one minute for each year of life.

Monitor the child throughout the time.

Time does not start until the child is calm.

Time starts over if the child gets up.

Tell the child what went wrong tell them you still love them before setting them back to playtime.

Tell them what action to do next time.

Seek professional help if you feel the child is a danger to himself or others.

Don't

Threaten punishment that you do not intend on enforcing. A child quickly learns who he needs to obey and who he does not.

Allow your child to bargain with you after they have misbehaved after the warning. Once the behavior is done, it is time out.

Lecture.

Interact with your child while they are in time out, even if they threaten to urinate in the chair or need a drink of water.

Punish them by spanking or hitting them. They only learn from that that violence is an okay to solve problems, and they do not learn the correct behavior.

get discouraged if the child needs constant correcting. Some children take longer to learn from experience than others.

Following these simple rules will help a child become better able to interact with others and socialize appropriately. In the short run, it requires work and effort to constantly shape the behavior of your child. However, with consistent effort now, you are saving yourself time, power struggles, and headaches in your future.

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