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Printable behavior charts for setting and tracking goals.

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Cognitive styles and learning styles are important concepts in the study of education. For a time, people used the two terms interchangeably, but experts today study both types of styles individually to determine the best methods for educating children in the classroom who may learn or process information differently from their peers.

Differences

The term "cognitive style" refers to the way a person processes information in his head in a way that is distinctive to that individual. A person is set in a particular cognitive style from birth. In contrast, a learning style is a manner in which a learner interacts with and responds to the learning material or environment. A person's cultural background may influence his learning style. The student may also use a different learning strategy depending on the task.

History

In the mid-20th century, most people treated kids who learned or processed information differently from everyone else as less intelligent than other students. Psychologists first started raising concerns in the 1950s and 1960s that typical intelligence tests were much too narrow in assessing a student's abilities. For example, they seemed to place a high emphasis on "convergent thinking" -- focused on predetermined answers -- and not enough on "divergent thinking," which deals with creative innovation.

Examples of Cognitive Styles

You will see a person's cognitive style come out in the way she uses her brain to solve a problem. For example, some people may need to visualize a task before starting, but others may not. Some may work quickly, but others must process information slowly and deliberately before delivering an answer. Some may look at concepts holistically, while others approach subjects in a more piecemeal fashion.

Examples of Learning Styles

Visual learning is one learning style. It refers to a student's need to see body language or facial expressions from the teacher to fully grasp the lesson. Others are auditory learners who get the most out of the lesson through lectures and discussions. They may benefit from noting things like voice, pitch and tone. Kinesthetic learners need hands-on experience with the subject, and they need to be able to explore their world or environment. They may become restless if forced to sit through long lectures with not enough activity.

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Cognitive Styles Vs. Learning Styles | Synonym

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Cognitive styles and learning styles are important concepts in the study of education. For a time, people used the two terms interchangeably, but experts today study both types of styles individually to determine the best methods for educating children in the classroom who may learn or process information differently from their peers.

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Kids are crazy for technology! And it's important to provide early learners with time to simply play, create and use their imaginations. However, teachers must also ensure that students learn to use current technology in this constantly-evolving world. Integrating technology, when done well, not only reinforces key technical skills children need to thrive in the 21 st century, but it also increases student engagement and enhances learning. Listed below are 10 trending tech tools that early childhood teachers can use to attain better outcomes in the classroom.

1) Interactive Websites: There are a TON of engaging websites for early learners that reinforce key academic concepts. Starfall is a phonics-based website for children pre-K through first grade that aims to develop and strengthen reading skills. ABC Ya, Cookie and Fuel the Brain feature age-appropriate educational games and activities spanning all subject areas. Math Magician and XtraMath help children improve their math fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Suessville, named for Dr. Suess, includes kid-friendly activities as well as information about the author's books and interesting characters. These self-directed sites require little or no teacher assistance and will keep children actively engaged both at school and at home.

2) Enriching Apps: School iPad carts are available to many teachers for use in classrooms, while other schools have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Whichever is the case, bringing iPads into the classroom is an excellent way to generate excitement about learning. Best Apps For Kids features some of the best apps by age, grade level, and subject matter. Top 10 Educational Apps for Preschoolers features reviews by a mother and former teacher highlighting both free and paid apps for preschool children.

3) Educational Video Sites: Teachers no longer need to search their school library's archaic VHS or DVD collections when current educational videos are available via the click of a mouse. BrainPOP Jr. and Discovery Education feature academic videos tailored to learning objectives and specific age groups. TeacherTube, a media site similar to YouTube, enables teachers to share instructional materials such as videos, audio recordings, and photographs. SafeShare.TV is a student-friendly filter that removes the offensive elements sometimes surrounding YouTube clips.

4) Online Organization: Symbaloo is a visual tool teachers can use to gather and organize the most commonly used websites on their computer desktops as graphical tiles. This format not only helps teachers manage their many excellent resources, it can also significantly improve struggling readers' ability to navigate the desktops on student computers. LiveBinders is a virtual binder for the web, useful for collecting resources and making them accessible to both students and parents. Just say no to lost papers!

5) Interactive Whiteboards: Electronic touch boards such as the Promethean board and SMART board allow teachers and students to manipulate items on a large screen using electronic pens, bringing a new level of interactivity to classroom instruction. Promethean Planet offers over 60,000 free teaching resources for the Promethean board, while SMART Exchange shares a myriad of activities for the SMART board. Teachers can also create their own lessons and broadcast media from the Internet, including academic videos or energizing clips that promote movement like those featured in 20 Brain Break Clips: Fight the Fidgeting. The possibilities are endless!

6) Digital Storytelling: Several websites encourage children to tap into their creative imaginations to produce digital stories online. Story Bird supports children in creating visual stories with artwork; Little Bird Tales provides a medium for students to design and narrate their personal work; and Zimmer Twins carries it further by helping kids produce their own animated tales. And digital storytelling not only keeps children engaged, it also encourages higher-level thinking.

7) Collaborative Resources: Another source of memorable learning experiences for children is communicating with classes in other schools, districts, states and countries. Using Skype, children can hold video chats with other students over the Internet. The social platform Edmodo connects classes so they can share materials and access information easily and safely. ePals Global Community connects over half a million classrooms around the world. While students can still benefit from writing to traditional pen pals, these sites may offer a level of cultural contact deeper than what the written word can convey.

8) eBooks: In addition to the high-interest texts that classrooms provide, teachers can take advantage of the many sites featuring popular kids' books online, such as Disney Digital Books, TumbleBooks, and We Give Books. Storyline Online, a special site run by the Screen Actors' Guild Foundation, shares videos of famous actors and actresses reading well-known children's books.

9) Virtual Timers: Timers can help set a tone of accountability and assist students in self-regulation and completing their work. Online Stopwatch offers a range of teacher timers, clocks, and countdowns for display on the computer screen and/or interactive whiteboard. Tick Tock Timer, Egg Timer, and Timerland are other options for tracking time.

10) Online Behavior Systems: Behavior management software can help teachers manage their classrooms online. An example is Class Dojo, which allows teachers to award points to students for participating, helping others, exercising creativity, showing great insight, working hard, and making a good presentation. The software can be accessed from a tablet or smart phone, in addition to the teacher's school computer. Class Dojo is especially helpful for teachers who manage more than one group of children.

To get the most from the new technology and hold the very short attention spans of little ones, it's important to avoid technical difficulties and to have a solid understanding of the functions and features of new technology before making use of it. Think deeply about how each tool may enhance your students' abilities to reach their personal goals. Approached properly, technology need not be intimidating. Rather, it can catapult its users to new heights. As teachers, we must embrace the technology that shapes our world. To develop life-long learners in our classrooms, we must be life-long learners ourselves.

Integrating technology reinforces key technical skills children need to thrive in the 21st century .

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ECE Technology: 10 Trending Tools for Teachers

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Kids are crazy for technology! And it's important to provide early learners with time to simply play, create and use their imaginations. However, teachers must also ensure that students learn to use current technology in this constantly-evolving world.

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Six Strategies for 21st century learners

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Six Strategies for 21st century learners

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It's no secret that the face of education has changed dramatically over the past ten years or so. Teachers across the country are working hard to equip children with the skills needed for success in the 21st century world. In addition to instilling in students the flexibility to readily adapt to changing technologies, teachers must foster learning environments that encourage critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and social responsibility. Listed below are six strategies early childhood teachers are currently using in classrooms to prepare kids for the boundless future ahead.

1) Integrated Technology

Today's youngsters were born in the age of the Internet. Many are more technologically savvy than the adults assigned the task of teaching them. To connect with these kids, teachers must learn to speak their language and become conversant with the technology that comes so naturally to the young. Integrating technology means tapping into students' interests and strengthening their technical skills, all while providing enriching learning opportunities. As with any new development, many teachers, eager to keep up with the latest fashion, simply go through the motions of integrating technology. However, if they are to succeed with it, they need more than the motions - they need a deep understanding of the tools available, as well as meaningful reflection about how to use them to enhance learning. In addition, the increased connectivity that accompanies this technology makes it vital that teachers stress the importance of Internet safety. NetSmartzKids, an interactive website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, teaches kids to use the Internet responsibly. Also, be sure to check out ECE Technology: 10 Trending Tools for Teachers, which outlines many innovative tools that can enhance student learning.

2) Cooperative Learning Structures

Teacher-centered instruction has had its day. Effective teachers are increasingly using a student-centered approach. Cooperative learning sparks engagement in classrooms by encouraging interaction among the students themselves. The teacher, rather than calling on one student at a time, allows children to discuss class materials with buddies or in groups, thus maximizing the level of participation. The students work just as hard as the teachers. No longer a one-man show, the teacher's role becomes that of a facilitator instead. This, in turn, leads to higher achievement, while promoting both team and class building. Kagan Cooperative Learning has developed over 200 practical, easy-to-implement instructional strategies, or "structures," that turn classrooms into lively scenes of both movement and stimulating discussion. Laura Candler's Cooperative Learning Resources features a variety of activity sheets and blackline masters for teachers, useful for accountability during cooperative learning.

3) Differentiated Instruction

Teachers can tailor learning experiences to differentiate among the individual needs of students in the classroom. There are three main learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Cognitive Learning Styles of Children describes the characteristics of these learners as well as the types of activities in which they best thrive, with the caveat that it is only learning styles being described, to be distinguished from cognitive styles (holistic, analytic, field-dependent, etc.). Teachers can also differentiate by matching assignments to readiness levels, offering appropriate intervention or extension activities as required. Allowing children to select activities based on areas of interest is another great way to differentiate. Offering choices is an excellent motivator for kids. Small-group work is one of the most effective ways to meet the needs of diverse learners in large class settings. Differentiation Central offers insightful information, as well as a short video of educator, author and speaker Carol Ann Tomlinson sharing her experiences and views about classroom differentiation.

4) Goal Setting

Involving children in the goal-setting process is an excellent way to encourage them to take ownership of their learning. In the early stages, goal setting needs to be done in a very clear and simplistic way - for example, frequent two-way conversations with children about their progress in specific areas. Teachers can further facilitate goal setting through the use of organizers, anchor charts and similar aids. Free Printable Behavior Charts provides models of personal charts for early learners. Teaching and Tapas shares a class's goal charts geared specifically towards reading and writing. K-5 Math Teaching Resources shows a selection of goal charts for math instruction. In general, helping children reach their goals calls for teachers to provide specific, frequent feedback as well as ample time for self-reflection.

5) Cross-Curriculum Teaching

In contrast to the traditional teaching of subjects in isolation, teaching multiple subjects simultaneously can help students go much deeper in learning concepts and skills. Naturally, this approach asks more from the teacher. It can be easy to blend math, science, or social studies content with reading or writing. However, it is more challenging to combine all the subjects at once. Here are some of the major approaches to simultaneous learning. Project-based learning involves children carrying out a project that ends up with a concrete result of some kind. Problem-based learning asks the teacher to guide children in developing solutions to real-world problems. In inquiry-based learning, children generate their own questions according to their curiosities or interests, which they then investigate. These methods work so well because teachers don't simply tell students what they should know, but instead they engage children in exploring and uncovering the information in a more meaningful way in which all the subjects come into play together. Check out this video of a group of five-year-olds participating in project-based learning at Auburn Early Education Center. These methods are not only fun, they are highly motivating for children and encourage collaboration, as well.

6) Assessment for Learning

Assessment for Learning, or Formative Assessment, is a data-gathering process used by teachers to help them customize instruction to match students' needs. Summative assessments don't always give a clear picture of what a student knows. Also, by the time the data is gathered, it's already too late! The teacher is already moving to the next objective, leaving many students behind who haven't fully grasped the previous content yet. To prevent this problem, teachers can monitor how the children are learning as they teach, using observations, questioning strategies, class discussions, exit tickets, learning logs, peer assessments, self-assessments, and slate work, among other methods. Teachers can gauge the progress of individuals, groups, or the whole class, and they can adjust the process by supporting or challenging students as needed. The article What is Assessment for Learning? provides additional insight into this technique. These ongoing assessments allow teachers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the classroom to ensure that students are learning.

To connect with these kids, teachers must learn to speak their language and become conversant with the technology that comes so naturally to the young.

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Six Strategies for 21st Century Early Childhood Teachers

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It's no secret that the face of education has changed dramatically over the past ten years or so. Teachers across the country are working hard to equip children with the skills needed for success in the 21st century world.

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How Teachers can Really Motivate Students

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How Teachers can Really Motivate Students

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Beyond Carrots and Sticks: How Teachers Can Really Motivate Students

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Student motivation can be heavily influenced by factors teachers have no control over. But what about the things we can influence? This collection explores the research on the teacher behaviors, instructional moves and classroom conditions that are most likely to keep students motivated.

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Unmotivated Students

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Unmotivated Students

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Unmotivated Students | Cult of Pedagogy

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If we know what works to motivate students, why are so many students still unmotivated? These five questions will help you determine if your practice is really in line with research.

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Learning Styles of the 16 Personality Types

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There are many ways of classifying learning styles that draw from different theories: theories of intelligence, experiential theories (Kolb, 1984), sensory modalities (the VARK model - Fleming & Mills, 1992), cognitive styles, or psychological types.

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Discouraging Challenging Behavior Among Children

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Discouraging Challenging Behavior Among Children

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This video shows you how to discourage inappropriate or challenging behaviour in children. It covers strategies like empathy, distraction, ignoring, consequences and clear communication with your child about what you expect. You might need to experiment to work out which strategies work best for you and your child.

Last updated or reviewed 24-10-2016

Acknowledgements
The Raising Children Network invites organisations and individuals to download and add this parenting video to their websites free of charge. The video must not be edited and must appear with the following statement:
Sourced from the Raising Children Network website, Australia's trusted parenting website. For more parenting information, visit raisingchildren.net.au.

Related videos

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Challenging behaviour in children: video | Raising Children Network

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This video shows you how to discourage inappropriate or challenging behaviour in children. It covers strategies like empathy, distraction, ignoring, consequences and clear communication with your child about what you expect. You might need to experiment to work out which strategies work best for you and your child.

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did you know

Your experience of being disciplined as a child is likely to affect the way you discipline your child.

Talking with your partner, if you have one, about your experiences might help you both work out how to discipline your child.

About discipline

Discipline is helping your child learn how to behave - as well as how not to behave. It works best when you have a warm and loving relationship with your child.

Discipline doesn't always - or even often - mean punishment. In fact, discipline and discipline strategies are positive. They're built on talking and listening, and they guide children towards:

knowing what behaviour is appropriate, whether it's at home, a friend's house, child care, preschool or school

managing their own behaviour and developing important skills like the ability to get along well with others, now and as they get older

learning to understand, manage and express their feelings.

My parents used to send me to my room when I fought with my sister. I have used time out with my kids but I find that taking away a favourite toy or game reminds them to behave better.
- Mum of two school-age children

Choosing an approach to discipline

Choosing an approach to discipline is about finding the right balance.

Not enough discipline can leave children feeling insecure and parents feeling out of control. Too much harsh, negative discipline, and not enough praise and rewards, might get children behaving well, but out of fear. This can lead to problems with children's self-esteem and anxiety later in life.

Discipline works best when it's firm but fair. This means you set limits and consequences for your child's behaviour, while also encouraging good behaviour with praise, rewards and other strategies.

Your approach to discipline will also depend on things like your parenting style, your child's stage of development and your child's temperament.

Physical punishment - for example, smacking - doesn't teach children how to behave. When parents use physical punishment, children are more likely to have challenging behaviour, anxiety or depression. There's also a risk that smacking might hurt your child.

Discipline at different ages

The ways that you can use discipline will change as your child grows and develops.

Babies
Under the age of one year, babies don't really understand right from wrong, and don't do things to be 'naughty'.

A lot of your baby's behaviour is about testing out what he can do and what happens when he does things. So when your baby pulls your hair, you might say 'no' and show him to touch your hair gently. You'll probably need to do this over and over again because your baby might not remember from one time to the next.

Punishing or using negative consequences for babies doesn't work, because they don't understand what they've done. They need warm, loving care so they feel secure.

Our Baby Cues video guide helps you to work out what your baby is trying to tell you through her behaviour and body language.

Toddlers
From around the age of one year, toddlers start to understand a bit more about cause and effect. Your toddler might sometimes do something to get a reaction - for example, throwing food or having a tantrum.

Our Toddlers Behaviour Toolkit takes you through different discipline strategies you can use with your toddler.

Preschoolers
From the age of three years, most preschoolers have a good understanding of what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't. Preschoolers often also start spending more time away from home (at preschool, kinder, child care and playgroup), so they get more chances to test out acceptable social behaviour.

Our Preschoolers Behaviour Toolkit has information on tailoring discipline strategies to your preschooler's behaviour.

School-age children
School-age children might know how to behave in different places - for example, school, home or the library. But they still need you to remind them of the limits and reward them for good behaviour.

Our School-age Behaviour Toolkit takes you through ways to use discipline with your school-age child.

In Australia, most teachers have positive strategies for managing challenging behaviour in the classroom and playground. If you're worried about your child's behaviour, talking with your child's teacher is a great first step.

Discipline: setting behaviour expectations

Setting expectations for your child's behaviour lays the groundwork for your approach to discipline. Here's how to get started.

1. Decide on family rules
A good place to start is with 4-5 family rules. For example, your family rules might be things like:

We speak nicely to each other.

We look after other people.

Everyone helps out around the house.

We look after our own belongings.

When children are school age and above, you can involve them in helping to decide on some of these rules.

2. Teach your child what behaviour is expected
Children learn by watching what you do. Showing your child the behaviour you like by doing it yourself will help your child learn. For example, if you want your child to sit down to eat, sitting down together to eat family meals can help children learn this behaviour.

3. Praise your child for good behaviour
Praise is when you tell your child what you like about him or his behaviour. When your child gets praise for behaving well, he's likely to want to keep behaving well.

Descriptive praise is when you tell your child exactly what it is that you like. It's best for encouraging good behaviour. For example, 'Ari, I really like how you used please and thank you just then. Great manners!'

4. Set clear limits and consequences
Decide on a consequence for breaking a family rule. For example, you might withhold pocket money from an eight-year-old if she hasn't done her household chores. But if she hits her brother, time-out is a better consequence.

When you use consequences in the same way and for the same behaviour every time, your child knows what to expect.

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How to discipline children | Raising Children Network

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Your experience of being disciplined as a child is likely to affect the way you discipline your child. Talking with your partner, if you have one, about your experiences might help you both work out how to discipline your child. Discipline is helping your child learn how to behave - as well as how not to behave.

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Promoting Positive Behavior in the Classroom

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Promoting Positive Behavior in the Classroom

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Effective discipline is important for maintaining a positive atmosphere in the classroom and supporting students' learning. Teaching strategies that support positive behaviours begin by making expectations clear, teaching children how to meet them and reinforcing children's appropriate behaviour. When needing to address particular behaviours for individual children, it can be very helpful to work with parents and carers to develop a positive discipline plan.

Example: Teaching Suzie how to get focused

Susie's class two teacher was concerned that she always seemed to be losing or forgetting things and often distracted others in class. The teacher talked to Susie and her mother about the problem. Together they came up with a plan to get Susie focused and improve her attention in class.

First, Susie's teacher made sure that Susie knew what was expected of her. She explained that it was important for Susie to be prepared for class with everything she needed so that she could keep up with her learning.

Makes expectations clear

Her teacher asked Susie whether she could think of things that might help her remember to bring her things to class, including her homework. They decided that Susie would make a list each afternoon of the things she would need for the next day and she would check the list when she packed her bag for school.

Teaches positive behaviours

The teacher also reminded Susie of their class rule about respect. She explained that when Susie distracted others it was stopping them from learning. The teacher asked whether Susie thought it was respectful to distract others. Susie agreed that it wasn't.

Sets basic rules and refers to them

Susie's teacher explained how she planned to help Susie remember to get on with her work and stop distracting others. She would use a chart to record each time that Susie was able to keep on track with her lesson without distracting others. At the end of each day the teacher wrote about Susie's successes in her diary. Her parents told Susie how pleased they were with her

progress and let her choose a privilege such as a special meal, a treat or an activity she liked each time she reached a new goal.

Reinforces positive behaviours and

collaborates with parents or carers

Susie's teacher also explained that if Susie did distract others she would give her one reminder. If it continued, Susie would need to come to the front of the class and sit near the teacher's desk.

Uses logical consequences

Susie's teacher made sure to follow through. She praised Susie when she brought her things along and whenever she observed her being focused in class. On a few occasions when Susie began distracting others she gave her one reminder and then quietly asked her to come and sit near the teacher's desk. This was done without disrupting the class or embarrassing Susie.

Consistently follows through

Further follow up

After two weeks, Susie was bringing everything she needed to class and seemed to be more thoughtful about looking after them. She had managed to get through the day without distracting others four times, and had only had to sit near the teacher's desk twice. At this point Susie's teacher and parents decided that the note would go home after two days in a row of positive behaviour. After a whole week of positive behaviour her teacher nominated her as student of the week. She got an award from the Principal and her name was published in the school newsletter.

Remember

There are many reasons why children misbehave. As well as applying basic techniques of positive discipline it remains important to address children's learning and emotional needs at school in order to provide effective support for children's learning and mental health.

See also:
Managing behaviour: Further resources

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Promoting positive behaviour in the classroom

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KidsMatter was developed by mental health professionals and education and childcare staff in response to the high rates of school-age children with mental health difficulties and the problems they face getting help. It is is a partnership between education and health sectors and is funded by the Australian Government and beyondblue.

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Personality types

Understand others

In our free type descriptions you'll learn what really drives, inspires, and worries different personality types, helping you build more meaningful relationships.

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Free personality test, type descriptions, relationship and career advice | 16Personalities

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Personality types In our free type descriptions you'll learn what really drives, inspires, and worries different personality types, helping you build more meaningful relationships.

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What promoting positive behaviour involves

Parents and carers who provide boundaries as part of a loving and secure relationship with their children help children feel secure and self-conﬁdent. Children beneﬁt from knowing that their environment is stable and that a competent adult is taking care of them.

There are three aspects to promoting positive behaviour:

1. A learning environment that is positive and supportive

2. Strategies for building skills and strengthening positive behaviours

3. Strategies for decreasing undesired behaviours

Positive and supportive environments for learning

Building strong parent/carer-child relationships

Discipline techniques are most effective when children feel cared for and know that their needs will be met.

Quality time

Ensuring that there are times in your day for appreciating and enjoying your children's company is very important for building and maintaining positive relationships. Taking a little time for playing and having fun together helps everyone relax and encourages caring and cooperation. As children get older, you may ﬁnd that having time to talk together is important for maintaining close relationships. Time to talk, and more importantly time to listen, helps children to feel understood and supports positive self-esteem.

Positive attention

Giving children regular attention helps to meet their needs for care. Providing attention to children when they are doing something positive makes it more likely they will continue to seek parents' and carers' attention through positive rather than negative behaviour. Simple acknowledgements are very effective ways for parents and carers to provide positive attention to children, for example: "Thanks for picking up your toys," "Well done for ﬁnishing your homework before dinner," or "You played really well today. It's great to see you getting along and having fun."

Strategies for building skills and strengthening desired behaviour

Praise

The most important part of promoting positive behaviour involves guiding children to recognise and use behaviours that are appropriate for the situations they encounter. Learning to manage feelings, help around the house, organise schoolwork and cooperate with others are some examples of behaviours that primary school children gradually develop with guidance and support. By noticing and praising children's positive behaviour, adults can effectively guide children to use desired behaviours. This is especially important when children are learning to manage new situations or behaviours. When praising children for good behaviour, it helps to be very speciﬁc. Tell them exactly what behaviour, actions and words you noticed and appreciated, such as: "Thank you for your help. You remembered to clear away the dishes without a reminder," or "I was really happy that you were so patient. You sat quietly and waited for me to ﬁnish my conversation." Providing speciﬁc and enthusiastic feedback to children in this way helps them to understand what you expect, and to feel good about making the effort to behave in ways you approve of.

Rewards

As well as praise, other kinds of rewards can often be very helpful, especially when children are learning new routines or taking on new responsibilities. There are many possible rewards for children's behaviour. The best reward is something that the child values. It should only be given after the child has shown the desired behaviour. When used in this way, rewards help to demonstrate to children that you have noticed and appreciated their efforts. Some parents and carers worry that rewards will 'spoil' children and lead them to want rewards for everything they do. When you clearly specify the desired behaviour and ensure that only that behaviour is rewarded, spoiling does not occur. However, if nagging and whining are followed by rewards, children will continue to nag and whine as they learn that this kind of behaviour pays off. The key to using rewards effectively is to be speciﬁc about the behaviour you intend to reward and avoid rewarding unwanted behaviours. Select rewards that the child enjoys or values. After the desired behaviour has been learned, rewards can be phased out.

Sample reward menu

Routines

Regular routines, where the same things happen in the same way at the same time each day, are very important for supporting children's positive behaviour. Establishing routines for bedtime, meal times, bath time, homework and other things that happen as a regular part of their day helps children know what to expect. Routines provide a sense of security so that children feel more settled. This, in turn, is likely to increase their positive behaviour.

Setting expectations and limits

Setting limits for children involves communicating your expectations clearly and following through consistently. When setting limits or establishing routines, state directions speciﬁcally, positively and conﬁdently so that children are in no doubt about what you want them to do and that you expect them to do it. Avoid overwhelming them by giving too many directions at once or by expecting things that are too difﬁcult for their level of ability. The limits you set should be ones you are conﬁdent the child can meet.

It is very important to follow through on your expectations. Being consistent (but not rigid) shows that you mean what you say and can be counted on. When expectations are applied inconsistently (eg some days you don't bother about the mess they leave and other days you insist that they must clean up), children are more likely to test or ignore the limits you set. Keeping rules and expectations to the few that are most important to you helps parents and carers to be consistent.

Giving choices

Giving children choices helps them learn the skills for responsible decision-making. It allows them to feel part of decisions that are made and to understand that the ways they behave are under their control. Letting children make (some) decisions and praising their responsible choices supports the development of positive social values.

It is important to offer choices that are appropriate for the child's age and abilities. You might, for example, offer children a choice between two different household chores. Choices can also be used to reinforce standing rules, for example: "Remember that homework needs to be done before you go to your friend's house. You can choose to do your homework now and go to your friend's house later, or you can choose to relax now and do your homework later, but not go to your friend's as well." For more information on children and choices have a look at our information sheets on making decisions.

Strategies for decreasing undesired behaviours

Children can behave in undesired ways for many reasons. They may not have learned what the appropriate behaviour is, they may not have learned how to manage feelings such as frustration or anger, or they may feel confused or insecure in an unfamiliar situation. Parents and carers may unintentionally contribute to the pattern of undesired behaviours by giving children attention when they occur. The most effective way to reduce undesired behaviour is to help your child learn an appropriate behaviour to replace it with. Teach children what it is you want them to do and provide them with rewards and positive attention for doing it. Shift your focus to the positive behaviour and avoid giving attention to the undesired behaviour. If necessary, apply logical consequences when undesired behaviour occurs. Maintain your calm when following through with consequences to ensure the child understands your intention.

Quiet time

When undesired behaviour is serious or repeated, you may ﬁnd it helpful to remove the child from the situation for a period to calm down. In addition to making it clear to children when their behaviour is unsafe or not appropriate, this helps to teach them how to manage emotions that may be running high. To use quiet time effectively it is necessary to have a designated space where children can sit quietly, without distractions, for a brief period.

It is best to take ﬁrm charge in this situation. Calmly describe the undesired behaviour and the consequence, for example: "You hit your brother. You need to go to quiet time." It is important not to get into a debate or argument but to follow through directly. When children go to quiet time, let them know that they can come back after they have been quiet for a speciﬁed time - usually one or two minutes for younger children or up to ﬁve minutes for older children. After the time is up, let them go back to the activity and follow up with praise for appropriate behaviour as soon as possible.

Some children behave in ways that are persistently deﬁant and aggressive. When this pattern occurs often and is more extreme than for other children their age, they may need help for a serious behaviour problem.

Keys to promoting positive behaviours
Prevention is better than cure
Make sure your expectations are clear and well matched to the child's age and capacity. Keep the emphasis positive, try to catch them being good (link to "Catch them being good") and be sure to show you appreciate when children do what you ask.
Be ﬁrm but fair
Making rules and setting limits (link to "Making rules and setting limits") helps children understand what is expected of them. Set reasonable and enforceable limits and follow through consistently. Being consistent is easier when you focus on the things you think are most important.
Keep cool
Avoid getting into power struggles that inﬂame emotions. Recognise your own triggers and use strategies for cooling down, such as walking away and discussing the issue later when you are calm. 'Time out' for parents and carers, when you take time to relax, can be a very important strategy for managing your responses to cope with and build positive family relationships and discipline issues.
Teach rather than punish
When promoting positive behaviour it is important to teach the behaviour you would like to see rather than punish the child. Punishment focuses on showing the child what not to do rather than helping him or her learn what to do. The emphasis is often solely on the problem rather than on supporting the child to ﬁnd more effective and appropriate behaviours. When punishment is blaming or hostile it can cause resentment and damage relationships.

See also:
Promoting positive behaviour in the classroom Managing behaviour: Further resources

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KidsMatter was developed by mental health professionals and education and childcare staff in response to the high rates of school-age children with mental health difficulties and the problems they face getting help. It is is a partnership between education and health sectors and is funded by the Australian Government and beyondblue.

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https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/social-and-emotional-learning/managing-behaviour-classroom