Behavior Plan for Kids Cursing in Elementary School

When you get a call from your child's school informing you that she's letting expletives fly out of her mouth, it is distressing and embarrassing. While you can't change the discipline methods used in the classroom to stop cursing, you can make a home behavior plan to help your child learn to refrain from using bad words in the presence of her classmates and teachers.

  1. Clear and Consistent Rules

    • If you let your child get away with cursing sometimes and only enforce consequences occasionally, it can be very difficult to get him to stop. Set clear and consistent rules regarding the use of bad words. Tell your child that curse words aren't allowed and hand down the same discipline every time it happens. Keep in mind that the consequences you impose have to involve something he cares about. If you remove his reading time, for example, the consequence may not produce the results you are seeking if reading isn't one of his favorite activities.

    Model Proper Language

    • Some kids decide it's OK to curse if they hear their friends saying them at school, but your behavior is also a powerful influence. If you say curse words when you're angry or you drop something, for example, your child is much more likely to do the same. Keeping your language free of curse words is an effective way to set a good example for your child. Talk to your child about the situations that make him curse, suggests Early Childhood News. This gives you the opportunity to talk about the words that are more appropriate to use at these times.

    Work with the School

    • If your child receives detention or a similar punishment for cursing at school, it's important to take it seriously. Even if you think it's silly or unnecessary, don't let your child know that you don't really think it's that big of a deal. This will only make him assume he can curse at school without any consequences at home. If your child gets into trouble at school, removing privileges or disciplining him at home reinforces the message that he must follow the rules when he's at school.

    Tips

    • Your child's punishment for cursing will be much more effective if you also suffer the same consequences for cursing, notes the Empowering Parents website. Setting up a swear jar is helpful. When a swear word is uttered, the guilty party has to put a quarter or dollar in the jar, no matter who let it slip. You can also fill a jar with names of chores on slips of paper. Each time someone curses, he or she must pull one out and complete the chore on it. Learning not to say bad words at home can help keep your child from doing so at school, too.

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