Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of STOP WHINING!!!! moments. But I realize too that it’s a lose lose if I get to that point.
.
For little annoying behaviors like whining. We don’t ignore them, give them what they want then come back to a green arrow moment later. We do the teaching right then.
.
You can ask nicely. Say, “I want the dinosaur show please” *repeat* “ok now you do it” *does on own*
This is the only way whining will commence. There has to be consistent teaching of what they SHOULD do. Not just what they shouldn’t.
Read More
I don't have games on my phone. But I do have this ONE free app, that I use as a tool to teach prosocial behaviors.
Any other amazing apps out there that are parent hacks... drop em below!
Meet, the Mouse Timer. This app is a timer that shows several different time options. You click the time you need and then when the mouse eats the cheese the timer is up.
Charlie often has a hard time taking turns with his cousin. So, we pulled out the mouse timer. "When the mice eats the cheese, then it's Pipers turn" Then while Piper had her turn Charlie kept checking in to see how many more apples were left before the mouse got the cheese.
Another thing that would work would just be a digital timer that they can see moving or counting down. It's so hard for kids to conceptualize time, but if they can see ok... I can have a turn in 15 apples... I'm going to survive. It usually goes a lot smoother.
Read More
"The more we say, "I like the way you…." or "Good ______ing," the more kids come to rely on our evaluations, our decisions about what's good and bad, rather than learning to form their own judgments. It leads them to measure their worth in terms of what will lead us to smile and dole out some more approval." - Alfie Kohn
Read More
Usually, we have a challenging behavior happen... and that's the moment we use to have a stern talk, a lecture, an explanation or a push toward empathy. Nothing wrong with that, it's actually amazing we care enough to try and teach our children right from wrong.
BUT, if we rearrange the timing of our teaching, we may be able to get through these challenging behaviors with much more ease, less monologues... and with clear boundaries.
There are two reasons why this is NOT the most effective time to teach.
1. It can be reinforcing to give this much attention to challenging behavior
2. they are not in the emotional state to be receptive to any teaching
But mostly watch my video to understand, HOW (and when) to teach effectively, but still enforce your limits.
Read More