How to Discipline a Toddler in Daycare
- 1). Establish a routine for toddlers, especially with those who have difficulty listening to adults. Toddlers require naps, healthy snacks, frequent meals and exercise. Ensure that each toddler under your care receives what he needs on a regular, consistent basis. Providing toddlers with their basic needs goes a long way in assuaging difficult toddlers.
- 2). Isolate troublesome toddlers from any dangerous situations, for example, if she is playing with dangerous materials or playing too riskily. Pick up, hold or place the toddler in a playpen for a few minutes to calm the situation immediately. However, do not leave the child alone for long periods of time; isolating her from the situation is merely an attempt to keep her safe, not to discipline her.
- 3). Redirect the toddler's actions or emotions. If the toddler is, for example, drawing inside books or throwing blocks, say something like, "Books are for reading, not for drawing," then substitute the book for something on which it is appropriate to draw, such as paper or a coloring book. Instead of creating a negative situation, redirect the child's actions to emphasize that playing is alright as long as it's done in the right environment or on the right materials.
- 4). Ignore toddlers who are behaving unacceptably. Sometimes toddlers act out in an effort to receive additional attention. Once they realize they will not achieve their desired end (ie, attention from you), they will likely cease their bad behavior.
- 5). Develop consequences that are natural and logical. Toddlers respond to discipline that is a natural result of their actions. For example, if a child throws his food onto the floor, remove the items from his plate and have him clean up the mess he's made.
- 6). Set good examples. Toddlers mimic the actions of adults, so whatever you do will likely be used as an example for how a toddler should behave. As you act in the manner you want a toddler to act, explain why you are doing what you are doing. For example, while you are petting a dog carefully, explain to the toddler that you're petting softly so you don't accidentally pull the dog's hair and hurt him.
- 7). Be simple with your consequences. Lengthy explanations of what a toddler did wrong will be lost on him. Three year olds, for example, can process cause-and-effect relationships ("The longer you spend cleaning up, the less time we'll have to read your favorite book") while 2 year olds often understand simpler statements ("No jumping on the bed. You fall. Do not jump").
- 8). Issue time-out. If isolation, redirection and other consequences fall flat, put a troublesome toddler into time-out. A general rule of thumb is that toddlers should be in time-out one minute for every year of their age. Designate a standard time-out location and place a timer there.
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