The Best Ways to Discipline a Child

Consequences

• Teaching your child that his behavior has consequences is an important part of his development. There are two different kinds of consequences, natural and one set up by the parent. A natural consequence would be your child playing roughly with a particular toy, and then the toy breaks. One set by the parent would be telling your child that if she does not stop playing roughly with her toy, you will take it away for the rest of the day. Both examples teach your child that bad behavior has consequences and that she has control over a good or bad result. Successful discipline means sticking to your word. For good results, make sure the consequences you create are age-appropriate, says Canada's Caring for Kids website.

Separation

• Separation is removing something your child values as a result of poor behavior. For this sort of discipline to work, your child must be old enough to understand basic instruction. Always give a warning before you take something away from him, then remove the item and tell him why you are taking it and for how long. It is important you stick by what you say. Never give multiple warnings and always stick to the punishment. This will show him you are serious, and eventually one warning will be enough to rectify bad behavior. Do not go overboard with punishment. If you take everything away from him, he will have nothing left to motivate good behavior.

Timeouts

• A timeout is the practice of sitting your child down in a designated spot for a set amount of time until she calms down. A timeout is effective when done correctly and although it best suits children between 2 and 5 years of age, it does work throughout childhood, HealthyChildren.org reports. You need to choose a timeout area carefully; it must not place your child in any danger and be free from any distractions. Before being placed in a timeout, warn your child that her behavior is unacceptable and that if she carries on, she will be spending time in the timeout area. If she continues, take her to the timeout area without talking to her. Get down to her level and tell her exactly why she is in a timeout. You choose how long she stays there; HealthyChildren.org recommends a minute for every year of your child's age. If she keeps leaving the timeout area, keep taking her back and restarting the time. Only when she has left the timeout area several times should you stand there with her. Once a timeout is over, remove her and do not mention the incident again.

Reward Charts

• A reward chart is an effective method of discipline for a wide range of ages. Create a chart with tasks you would like your child to achieve throughout each day. At the end of each day, if he achieves each task give him a star to mark his success. Count the stars at the end of every week, and if he has managed to collect enough of them, offer him a prize; this can be a toy or extra parent-child activities. Not only does this give your child something to work toward, but it also helps with self-confidence. Be careful you do not allow the reward chart to replace any verbal recognition; continue to praise him for good behavior.