The Basic Three Behavior Management Strategies

When I first began teaching in the preschool setting, I spent a lot of time observing other preschool teachers to gain new insight on behavior management and I found that many of them used the same three basic behavior management strategies I will mention below. Although they were first researched and recommended over fourty years ago, they still work today and they don't require much preparation or work.

The three basic behavior strategies include praise, ignoring, and rules. Praise has shown to be effective when it is received immediately after an appropriate behavior and it is consistent (Hester et al, 2009). Children who seek adult attention will often behave well if they know they will receive positive feedback from an adult. Regarding ignoring behavior, when parents or teachers consistently ignore disruptive behavior that is not destructive to self or others, these challenging behaviors often subside. If adults ignore the behavior and praise other students, the students with challenging behaviors often replace their challenging behavior with appropriate behavior, as they find that they will seek the attention they need by behaving in this manner instead (Hester et al, 2009). Lastly, rules in the classroom have been effective in managing behavior when they are simplified so students can understand them and they are enforceable (Hester et al, 2009). Often adults give students too many rules with too many words that are hard to remember and understand and then we wonder why students don't follow them. In addition, we also set unrealistic rules and we can't hold accountability for them so students aren't motivated to follow them either. When directing your children or a group of students, it's important to always keep the level of understanding at the level of the youngest child in the family or group so that everyone involved can realistically understand and follow them.

When reflecting on this summary, here are some questions you can ask yourself:
1) How often do I praise my child? Do I praise my child as much as I discipline/command him/her?
2) What are appropriate behaviors to ignore? What is my plan for those behaviors I cannot ignore?
3) Does our family have a simple and understandable set of rules? Does my child know these rules?

A fun idea to implement this strategy is to plan a date night with your child. Go somewhere special and take time to talk with him/her individually, making sure you praise your child for something specific you love about him/her and affirm your child for something he/she has done well that day or week. This would also be a great time to not focus on the little inappropriate behaviors so that you can have a positive interaction together. Lastly, take time to positively review the home rules, check for understanding, and discuss any problem solving ideas together to help your child to continue following the rules.