How to respond to the good behavior of the little ones

The response of parents to the behavior of their children has important consequences in their education. A bad attitude usually carries with it a punishment, a rebuke to this alteration of normality. But what should be done when children succeed in their goals? And when they show a exemplary conduct?

Positive reinforcements must also be present in the education of the youngest children and for this the Department of Health and Human Resources of the United States offers a series of tips with which to reward in the right measure. Measures to respond to good behavior but without forgetting the youngest ones that this is an obligation that they must assume and a means through which to obtain prizes.


Positive attention

One of the best ways to make children understand what behavior is exemplary is the attitude to show their parents. In these cases we must separate between negative and positive attention. The first involves not responding to stimuli such as tantrums or attitudes that seek to turn everyone's eyes towards them.

In the case of positive attention, it responds to a good attitude. For example, if the children have obtained good grades, they can take advantage of the dinner time to highlight this fact and show the children that these behaviors are what they are looking for in them. In this way the chances of the children looking to repeat this performance increase.


Although you have to be careful with the level of positive attention. It is not necessary to exceed in the praises since of this form the children will not behave well for another reason that is not the reception of these rewards. Little by little children must understand that good behaviors are useful for more than just getting a prize, for example, studying for a test will have a long-term impact on a good academic future.

Positive attention should serve as motivation in moments of greater apathy. An example is a teenage son who must cancel a plan with his friends to stay in charge of his younger siblings. Parents should value this behavior in a positive way to make it clear that this decision to set aside fun for the obligation has not been ignored.

Types of compliments

On most occasions, positive attention will result in compliments. Now, what kinds of compliments are there? On the one hand are the specific and on the other those that are more vague. The first of them focus on specific attitudes and are often used in situations in which the child has invested a great effort, returning to the example of the school notes, if there is a subject that is presented as very difficult for the student and after much impetus , this one gets great grades, parents can highlight this fact specific.


Those who do not fall into the category of specific are those who praise behaviors more common, such as highlighting the child's help when picking up the table. They can also be gestural and not include words, such as a hug or a "high five". Here the objective is not to applaud a concrete behavior, but to show the children the affection that is had for them.

Damián Montero

Video: Challenging Behavior in Young Children


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