Parenting is hard. It’s probably one the most challenging things a human can possibly do in their lifetime. We as parents have the responsibility of providing for our children’s physical, emotional wellbeing and needs. We need to mold them to be able to care for themselves, learn how to contribute and be part of the family, and ultimately, how to be a healthy contributing member of society. To accomplish the above we need to know how to shape our children’s behavior. One of the ways we shape behavior is by using positive reinforcement. Reinforcement basically consists of things that we do after behavior to make it more likely that the behavior will be repeated. The main key is in making a conscious effort to notice that something is done right. For example, when a child finishes brushing their teeth we can immediately reinforce it by smiling and giving them a high five. The following are other ways we can reinforce positive behavior.
- Acknowledging words, Encouraging, Praising Words – Love it!” “Nice Work!” “Good job!” “You did it” “you worked really hard on this.” ““Thank you!”
- A Nod (acknowledging)
- Explain how it impacted people- “I appreciated…” “I enjoyed….” “I felt touched when you brought me a glass of water when you saw I was tired…”
- Smiling at our kids
- Giving them our full attention
- Giving them a hug
- Stickers
- Points
- Special prizes
Extra privilege that they earned
