Over the past few months, I have found the Play2Grow website (www.play2grow.com) extremely helpful.  This month, The Great Kids Newsletter provides great communication tips for getting children to do what you want.  These tips are particularly helpful late in the day or when evening is becoming stressful.  

In the home environment, it is important to notice the distractions present late in the afternoons and evenings.  Televisions or radios are often on with news and other events of the day.  In addition, children often have tee ball practice, dance classes, or other school events that we are rushing to get to.  Some ideas provided in the latest Great Kids Newsletter were great for helping parents and kids through these stressful times.  First, play music that is soothing and relaxing instead of having both the visual and auditory stimulation from the television.  Second, help children feel responsible by personalizing your requests, such as “It is important to mom that you put your toys away and wash up for dinner” rather than just demanding compliance.  Third, children often are more responsive when you ask them to agree to your request.  The Play2Grow newsletter cited a 20% greater chance of compliance when the child agrees to the request.  For example, “turn off the TV.” is more likely followed when the child is asked to repeat the direction and agrees to do it by a simple “okay”.  Other suggestions for improving communication and increasing empathy in children are provided in this newsletter on a regular basis.  In our society when improving children’s behaviors is often done in negative, rather than positive ways, this refreshing newsletter provides great ideas for how to discipline and improve social skills in our youngsters instead of expecting them to learn these behaviors and skills without instruction.

Return to Tip Archive