Discipline in children of 2 and 3 years

2 and 3 year olds are little surprise boxes. They are wonderful as well as emotionally explosive . They need to begin to understand positive discipline at home to regulate their behavior and gradually understand what are the acceptable behaviors from the unacceptable ones. This will avoid many unnecessary tantrums.

Although it is true that they will have tantrums and this is normal in their behavior for their development, with good discipline the number of unpleasant situations can be reduced significantly.

CALM TIME

Children at this age need to learn to understand their emotions in order to begin to have self-control over their natural urges. There are discipline methods that may work for some children but not all, so it is very important that you get to know your children so that you know what methods and strategies work best for them.

Perhaps the time to think is not useful for your child, but instead time with him to calm down will help him because it will help him understand the importance of self-regulation. Little by little he will be able to do it himself, provided that you have guided him through this important process first.

WITHDRAWAL OF STIMULI

For example, if your child is hitting another child with a truck or fighting with his brother over a toy, removing this toy can be a good way for him to understand that such behavior is not acceptable. You will have to explain why you are taking the toy away from him and that you will only return it to him when he behaves well and stops hitting or fighting over him.

Afterwards, give him the opportunity to be able to show you that he can behave well with the toy.

EXPLANATION OF BEHAVIORS

It is important in this phase to be more complete in the explanation and discussion of the behavior and the consequences. It is necessary for children to understand the why of things, and thus you will give them some control in the situation. They will be able to decide if they want to follow that behavior or if it is better for them to change it.

When children understand that calling names or hitting can hurt others, they will begin to feel empathy for the pain of others and will be able to feel guilt, something that will allow them to modify their behavior in the future.

Most likely, the change in behavior is not immediate, but insisting on this phase is necessary for children to internalize good behavior. Therefore, you must be aware with calm and empathetic conversations about their actions and the resulting consequences, you will discover that they will develop a greater sense of remorse and empathy necessary for their development.

THE GOAL IS NOT ALWAYS TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR

The goal is not simply to change your behavior, it is important to change your feelings and motivations. In this way they will learn to get along better with others and to understand why there are rules and limits necessary for a good family coexistence. The consequences of behavior and your emotions when handling situations are key for the result to be successful.

At times, the withdrawal of privileges can be effective so that children understand that you do not always have what you want. It can be the withdrawal of screen time, not going out to play in the park or any other consequence that is appropriate for the moment and the context in which it happens depending on the child’s behavior.

It is necessary that the consequences that are chosen are suitable for the child’s behavior, so it is not appropriate to choose too severe consequences for small behaviors. And of course, it is also not right to threaten children with consequences and then not carry them out, because in this case, everything that you are working to improve behavior simply will not work.