Discipline without punishment, children will behave if parents know how to apply these 5 methods

Using the “timeout” method

Teach children how to use time effectively. A day only has 24 hours, so we need to use it efficiently. For young children, after school, they can be “rewarded” a certain amount of time to listen to music, watch movies, play games, or do something they enjoy.

But this time needs to be controlled. After this private work time is over, children need to switch to other activities.

Notify your child that the private work time is about to end so they can prepare. This is called waiting time. It also implicitly warns that children will be punished if they run out of waiting time and have not completed the task.

This method also helps children control their anger. Parents should also remain calm and explain for the child to agree before deciding to apply it.

Take away some privileges from the child

If the child violates a certain rule, they will be punished by not being allowed to go out on the weekend or losing a reward that they would have received if they had done well… This method helps children understand that life has rewards and consequences. If children do not fulfill what has been prescribed, they may lose their privileges.

This also helps children figure out how to solve problems and understand that it’s not wise to be disobedient. If they are not obedient, they are the ones who will suffer. But parents should not overuse this method either. Offer an appropriate punishment for the mistake the child made, avoiding the child feeling unfair or even not listening to their mother anymore.

Help the child understand the consequences

When a child does not understand the consequences of their actions, they may thoughtlessly repeat them the next time. Instead of solving things for them, sometimes parents should let the child face their own behaviors. For example, if they don’t do their homework, they won’t understand the lesson the next day and will be reminded by the teacher. Or if they don’t share toys, no one will want to play with them…

Give gentle explanations and give the child the right to choose instead of forcing them or shouting at them to do what adults want. Prolonging the incident will make the child develop a hot-tempered personality, losing their calmness. Directly linking the consequences to behavioral issues helps the child see that their choices have direct consequences.

Parents serve as role models for children

Being a role model for children is a positive and effective way of education. If parents set a good example, children will learn how to behave correctly and naturally respect others.

In addition, children will also understand the value of ethical qualities and proper behavior in life. They will learn how to keep promises, respect others, treat others fairly, learn how to solve conflicts in an equal and gentle way.

If parents only punish their children when they make mistakes, it only makes them fearful and tense. It even makes them feel insecure and avoidant. In this way, it does not help children learn how to behave correctly in a natural and positive way, but only makes them feel afraid and unable to trust their parents.

Consistency in every discipline

Parents can choose consequences and punishments for their children, but make sure to implement the chosen punishments and consequences consistently.

Lack of consistency is a mistake parents make when setting consequences for their children’s misbehavior. Coleman writes: “When punishments at home are inconsistently applied, children will feel unstable. And inconsistent and overly strict punishments will make children feel insecure”.

The lack of consistency of parents will make children feel insecure and worried instead of drawing lessons and experiences as desired by parents.