Discipline How To Blog

It is easier to prepare your child to handle peer pressure when they are still in Elementary School, then to wait until the Middle or High School Years.  I found a wonderful article by Judy Larson with her tips on how to Prepare for Peer Pressure.  Judy advocates following these four steps:

1. Asking a question or questions
2. Identifying the wrong
3. Evaluating consequences
4. Suggesting an alternative

Judy gives some real life examples in her article.  Here is a real life example from one of my children’s lifes so you can see how the process works.

My middle daughter was pressured by her friend, Jane, to not include another friend, Amy, in their recess play.  My daughter asked Jane, “Why don’t you want to include her?” (Step 1)  Jane answered, “I just don’t want to.”  My daughter knew this was not nice (Step 2) and thought that if she did not include Amy both she and Amy would feel sad (Step 3).  Instead, my daughter said to Jane, “Amy is so much fun and she knows a new clapping game she could teach us.”  (Step 4) Jane decided that it would be fun to include Amy and the girls played together throughout the school year.

Take time to sit down with your children and make up peer pressure situations.  Let them go through each step of the process.  This will prepare them to think about peer pressure situations when they arise.

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Your seven and eight year old is well into academic learning and has been focused on school for a couple of years already.  Hand-eye coordination is fully developed and she has good balance.  Kids at this age can be quite self-critical and need boasts to their self-esteem.  Unfortunately, you might find that your child can be quite a complainer at these ages.  However, your child really starts to know the difference between right and wrong and is willing to take blame and correct mistakes.  This is a time to be patient with ever changing emotions.  Be sure to discuss peer pressure with your child at this stage.

Children that are seven and eight should be able to:

• Wash/Dry Dishes
• Floss Teeth
• Clean toilets
• Pull weeds
• Take care of nails and hair
• Use an alarm clock
• Be interested in Team Sports
• Start to know own interests (music, sports, drama, etc.)
• Clean mirrors
• Care for pet
• Know Address and Phone number

Take time to adjust your chore chart to include new responsibilities.

Technorati Tags: chore chart, chores, independent children

Have you ever lost track of your child in a store or amusement park?  I have.  The owners of SafetyTat have come up with a brilliant idea.  One day, while at an amusement park, they decided to write their cell phone number on the arm of each of their three children and although their children did not get lost that day, it gave them piece of mind knowing that there would be a may to contact them if any of their children were lost.

Building on that idea, SafetyTat makes safety tattoos.  These funs, temporary tattoos that can be applied to the arm of your child.  There are different types of tattos including:

Original - These tattoos come with one line of customization.  Choose a design and add your phone number.  These tattoos require water to apply.

Write-On - These tattoos require no water to apply and are waterproof.  They will last up to two weks.  They are shipped blank and you can write in your phone number with a waterproof tattoo marking pen.

Allergy - Is your child allergic to peanuts?  You can buy these tattoos that will let everyone know, just in case!

Special Needs - Do you have a child with a special need?  SafetyTats has four different designs that could help your child if they were every lost or seperated from the group.

SafetyTat is also a great product for school trips, vacations and other outings.

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Five and six year olds are finally out of the toddler stages and enjoy planning!  They can also be real talkers and like to discuss what is going on around them.  They are eager to learn, but can get frustrated if things don’t come easy enough.  At this age, they usually prefer one to two friends at a time, instead of a large group.  This is the age when they can be a bit bossy!

Since they are capable of doing a lot more at these ages, chores and responsibilities should change.  Introduce them to money and let them save and spend.  Have them save for a bigger purchase and it will give them a sense of accomplishment.

Children that are five and six should be able to:

• Clean/Straighten their own room
• Take a Shower (teach them how to wash their body and hair)
• Vacuum small areas
• Dust
• Empty garbage cans (with a little help)
• Set and Clear the Table
• Help make their own lunch
• Help load and empty dishwasher
• Clean sinks
• Know how to use a microwave
• Water plants
• Learn how to use the phone

Giving your five and six year old an allowance, with rules, can teach them financial responsibility.  A good rule of thumb, is one dollar per week per year of age.  A five year old would receive $5 per week.  Have the child save part of the money, give some to charity and leave a little left over for spending.  Here is how my child spilts up his allowance: $1.00 for college savings, $0.50 for charity, $2.50 for spending and then $1.00 to be saved for a big purchase.  If he wants put more money towards the big purchase, he can take money out of spending money.

Try using a fun chore chart that rewards your child as well!

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Photo by chefranden

Three and four year olds are usually independent by nature. They want to “do it” themselves even though they may not be able to finish the task. They may find it harder to transition at this stage and may need to be warned of changes before hand (we are going to the store in 5 minutes). They readily accept suggestions and can follow simple directions. They enjoy helping with chores and this is a good time to start a simple chore chart for them. When giving them a choice, let them choose between two things (i.e. you can wear the red or the blue shirt today).

Three and four year olds may become more picky at meal times. Decide how you best want to handle these situations. If you make a rule, such as, you must try at least two bites of everything, stick with it.

Children that are three and four should be able to:

• Dress
• Use potty by themselves
• Learn to brush teeth (but may need some help still)
• Pick up toys
• Say prayers with help
• Make bed by straightening covers
• Make a simple breakfast (cereal and milk, toast)
• Make a simple sandwich
• Put belongings away in room

As a parent, this is a good time to get in the practice of teaching your child these skills. As she gets older, you will add to the skills that you teach her.

Start a chore chart for your child at this age. Some responsibilities could include:

• Help make the bed
• Pick up toys and books
• Put dirty laundry in laundry basket
• Help feed pets
• Clean up spills
• Dust

You can buy a chore chart, find a free printable one on the internet, or make a simple chart yourself.

NOTE: This is the second part in a seven part series. Previous posts include:

Tips for Raising Independent Children

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I was often frustrated when trying to potty train my son. At first he was interested in trying to use the potty, but when he became an inconvience for him and interfered with his play time, he decided he wanted nothing to do with it. I finally came upon a reward solution that worked for him, however, what works for one child does not always work for another.

I recently heard about two new potty training methods that are getting great reviews. Here is my take on the two methods.

Potty Training Boot Camp

Potty Training Boot Camp was developed by Suzanne Riffel, a mom who, like many of us, spent hours trying to come up with the best potty training method for her children. After trying many different methods, Suzanne combined a few training ideas and tried it on her 20 month old daughter. The method worked! Suzanne has written a step-by-step method called The Potty Training Boot Camp.

This method involved four phases: Prep Work, Boot Camp, Reinforcement and Maintenance. The Potty Boot Camp works on children 18 months or older and completes 90% of training in just a couple of days. You can download The Potty Training ebook from Suzanne’s site and the price is very resonable - $5.95. Of course, if you want a real copy of the book, you can buy it at Amazon.com for $10.75.

Potty Training Made Easy with the Baby Signs Program

Dr. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn are the brains behind the Baby Signs programs. In 1982, they discovered that babies between 10 and 24 months could use simple signs to represent words they could not say. The Baby Signs Program was developed and showed parents how to teach their children simple signs to communicate.

After doing some research, Linda and Susan realized that in the 1950s, 92% of children were potty trained before the age of two. Now, most children are potty trained between two and three. Linda and Susan have developed a Potty Training program using Baby Signs that can be started before your child turns two.

The Baby Signs Potty Training Program shows you how to communicate with your child before she can talk. The kit comes with an All Aboard the Potty Train DVD, All Aboard Potty Train Lift-the-Flap Book, Job Well Done! Stickers and All Aboard the Potty Train Conductor’s Whistle.

If you are intersted in potty training your child early, this program may be the one for you.

Technorati Tags: baby signs, potty training, toddler discipline