Toddler Discipline (Ages 1-3)
Since toddlers lack any impulse control, they are very challenging to understand. For instance, explaining death to a young child—or any other serious subject, for that matter—is challenging. Additionally, most of the time they are either extremely joyful or really angry depending on their feeling. A toddler rarely appears to be brooding. Robert E. Larzelere and colleagues claim that children's intense curiosity can be used to predict future cognitive performance.
What Problems Do Toddlers Face?
Toddlers have a quick temper when they want something. A toddler is hardly the person you should be expecting to be patient. They act out in order to obtain something, such as food, sleep, or a toy. Additionally, toddlers frequently behave differently from what you teach them. Simply instruct them to do something and watch how far they'll go to act in opposition to your wishes.
Guidelines for Disciplining a Toddler
When trying to discipline a child, you should keep these four major suggestions in mind.
Give them a choice: Ask your toddler which toothpaste they want to use rather than telling them to brush their teeth.
Keep things easy: When telling your child something is nice or bad, keep it as simple as you can. Extra words and attempts to justify why something is wrong confuse them.
Be calm: When your kid cries, don't become upset. This can be especially difficult in public, but if you can maintain your composure for a while, your toddler will eventually calm down as well. This is due to the fact that they will gradually but undoubtedly realize that screaming at people won't bring them the most valuable resource they seek: attention.
Taking a time-out: Your two-year-old shouldn't get a time-out that lasts five minutes because time-outs should only last one minute each year of age! In actuality, even for an 8-year-old, the maximum duration of a time-out should be 5 minutes.
Preschoolers' Discipline (Ages 4-5)
At this stage of development, preschoolers are mostly focused on developing their social skills. You no longer need to simplify every statement in order for them to understand your thinking because they can now understand it much better. In other words, to a certain extent, they can follow your line of reasoning.
What Problems Do Preschoolers Face?
Preschoolers progress from throwing tantrums to whimpering (usually). They are actually fairly similar when you think about it, but whining involves more communication and is more likely to develop into a habit. Preschoolers are difficult to connect with since they are not listening, even when they are not whining. There's a chance that many people are watching TV and won't hear what you're saying.
Advice for Disciplining a Preschooler
Here are three suggestions for raising a preschooler under control.
Ask twice: If you ask your preschooler to do something, like clean their teeth, and they refuse, ask again. The second time should be followed with a warning, such as a promise not to watch TV the following day. Do not re-ask. Simply applying the bad outcomes for the third time. (Pro tip: Don't give children irrational scares like saying they'll never get ice cream again.)
Remember the good things your child does: It's simple to focus on their bad behavior and try to discipline them for it. But you have to constantly remind yourself to thank them when they behave well. For instance, they should receive points if you don't have to ask them twice to join you for dinner.
You can't hear complaining: React as casually as you can if you hear whining in your preschooler's voice. They'll eventually realize that the additional effort they expend to complain doesn't result in an additional response from you.
(Ages 6-9) Disciplining Schoolchildren
Children are more capable of self-control at this age, and the disciplinary methods utilized will have an impact on their adolescence. Previous strategies are ineffective right now. For instance, it is ineffective to pick up an 8-year-old when they are having a tantrum in public.
What Makes School Children Troubled?
Even though school age children are typically more patient than toddlers, they still lack the correct comprehension of long-term benefits. Because of this, encouraging children to complete tasks like schoolwork often requires repeated reminders. The good news is that if you explain it to them, they're more likely to learn from past mistakes.
Advice for Disciplining a Preschooler
Here are some pointers for correcting children who are at least six years old.
Ask inquiries after the fact if your school-aged child punched another child or otherwise engaged in behavior that is unacceptable and they are aware of it. You could, for instance, inquire as to "What went wrong?" and "What they'll do differently in the future?"
If your child does anything wrong, hold off on punishing them right away—a second right will correct a first wrong. Give them another chance, and if they succeed, praise them for that.
Describe events causally: Schoolchildren have a basic understanding of cause-and-effect relationships. When you can, do your best to justify why something is good or harmful. Tell them how much time they can spend on their phone and what will happen if they go over the allotted amount, for instance, if you have enabled parental controls on Android.
Managing Tweens (10–13)
Compared to schoolchildren, tweens are better at controlling their urges, but they also want to act more autonomously from their parents. Tweens typically get more control over the things they prefer as time goes on. This is the beginning of a power struggle that will reach its height in adolescence.
What Leads to Conflict Among Tweens?
Freedom-related difficulties are the most common ones that tweens struggle with. They will quarrel about things like how much time they may spend with their pals, whether they should be allowed to have their own cell phones, etc. Tweens backtalk significantly more than other age groups, too. They will vigorously debate anything and everything, especially if it pertains to their independence. Within their peer group, what is deemed "cool" has an impact on them as well.
Guidelines for Disciplining a Tween
Here are some pointers for training a tween.
Compromise and negotiate instead of imposing restrictions on your preteen. Instead, pay attention to them and, if possible, compromise if they're seeking to change things in their favor. Even if the outcome is in your favor, negotiation is crucial so that your tween knows you value their viewpoint.
Try to construct a clear chain of events between what your child does and what occurs so that when + then = discipline. For instance, they might get to play age-appropriate videogames after finishing their homework.
Establish ground rules for conversation because tweens tend to backtalk. You should explain to your child what types of conversation are appropriate and what are not. Call them out if they are disrespectful to you, insult you, or simply don't respond when you speak to them.
Disciplining Adolescents (14–18)
Teenagers are in the transitional stage between being children and adults, which allows them to understand you like an adult but not quite act like one. Hormonal alterations are the key problem in this situation. Much of the conduct of teenagers, who are going through puberty, is abnormal.
What Makes Teenagers Troubled?
Making independent judgments is a teenage obsession. Their choices are typically not very rational or reasonable. The majority of kids make choices based on their emotions, which isn't always useful, especially when many of these choices may affect their future.
Guidelines for Disciplining a Teenager
Teenagers vary widely, and those who are more rebellious may require different forms of discipline than those who are more compliant. Here are some pointers for training a teenager.
Keep the peace: Your adolescent is out to obtain what they want, and occasionally, even if they are unaware of it, they may need your assistance. Remember that they are simply children and try not to take whatever they say or do personally (don't point it out to them).
As your adolescent proves to you that they are responsible, adjust the guidelines to give them more latitude. This does not imply that you should disregard all regulations. For instance, the curfew should still be in effect, but you might be able to make it an hour later.
The Chart of Age-Appropriate Disciplines
The best techniques to discipline a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old can differ slightly while also being comparable. A good parent is aware of their child's conduct and how they will react to different forms of discipline. Our age-appropriate disciplinary chart should help you make an informed decision about how to deal with your child.
The most crucial discipline advice for each age group is displayed in the age-appropriate discipline chart we've created for you. Click here to download the pdf file.
Conclusion
Using a parental control software is a crucial component of managing a child. You can obtain a new tool that will assist you in putting the age-appropriate punishment you've selected into action by downloading the iOS or Android version of Safes. Feel free to test out the 14-day trial version of Safes without entering your credit card information if you want to learn more about its features and cost.
Monitoring your child's phone is a choice that many parents make in order to ensure their child's safety and well-being
