How to Avoid Misbehavior

While you might think that your child's misbehaviors are outrageous, unpredictable or just plain annoying, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes -- on their Healthy Children website -- that these undesirable actions are often the result of a purposeful act. Your child may want your attention, find what you are telling her to do unappealing or think that she can get you to change your mind when it comes to bending the rules simply by acting out. Instead of pulling your hair out every time that she acts in an out-of-hand way, work to figure out the cause and help her to avoid misbehaving.

Instructions

    • 1

      Keep track of the times when you are most likely to see your child's misbehavior. You may notice that your child misbehaves at a specific time of day, such as immediately before nap-time, or when she confronts a certain challenge. For example, your preschooler might misbehave when she feels sad or worried when you leave for work. While you can't always stop every situation that makes your child act out, you can prepare for the upcoming misbehavior and try to stop it before it starts.

    • 2

      Ensure that your child gets enough sleep. According to the pediatric experts at the KidsHealth website toddlers need up to 13 hours of sleep and preschoolers, children and tweens need between 10 and 12 hours in a 24-hour period. Without an adequate amount of sleep your child can't function at her fullest, which in turn may lead to her misbehaving and acting out. Encourage your younger child to nap at least once a day. This can help her to rest and relax instead of having a mid-afternoon meltdown, and ensure that she gets in any sleep that she misses at night.

    • 3

      Communicate the rules of expected behavior to your child. By the time that your little one reaches the preschool years -- between 3 and 5-years-old -- she is able to understand the concept of rules and consequences. If she knows that refusing to clean up her toys will result in her losing TV time, she may think twice before defying you. Likewise, an older child may choose to behave instead of acting out when she knows that slamming her bedroom door will only end in you taking away her phone privileges for a week.

    • 4

      Praise your child. Instead of waiting for your child to misbehave, avoid sticky situations and watching her act out by making a point of noticing her positive behaviors. For example, if your four-year-old tells you that she is angry that you won't give her a cookie right before dinner instead of throwing a tantrum, tell her how happy you are that she used her words.

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