How to Teach Children Good Habits

If raising responsible children is your goal, it's important to stay consistent in your efforts. Although it would be optimal if giving one-time instruction would suffice, this type of parenting won't produce long-lasting results. Merely telling a child what to do isn't an effective way to instill positive behavior. Teaching children good habits involves using positive techniques and reinforcements to ensure important messages translate into good habits.

Instructions

    • 1

      Clean up your negative behavior. Children use their parents as guides when forming habits. Assess your attitude and actions to put an end to unhealthy practices. It will be harder to make a child follow your instructions if he knows that you don't even follow the advice. For instance, when a child sees you eating excessive amounts of junk food and not cleaning your room, it makes him think this behavior is acceptable.

    • 2

      Provide encouragement and praise during the learning process. Keep your child motivated by expressing delight in her achievements. When children feel as if their actions are valued, they are more likely to continue to on a positive path. Recognize both small and large milestones with an appropriate level of reward.

    • 3

      Explain why good habits are necessary. It's not enough for children to know how to do things without knowing the reasoning behind their actions. Children that understand this logic are better equipped to handle "gray areas" that may arise. Use age-appropriate terms while enforcing the benefits of practicing good behavior. Avoid making physical rewards the ultimate motivation for positive behavior.

    • 4

      Make learning good habits more interesting. Infusing fun into the process helps children maintain focus and motivation. Finding creative ways to teach good habits also demonstrates your commitment to staying constructive. Keep long lectures to a minimum to encourage active listening.

    • 5

      Refrain from making endless corrections. Children can lose confidence if they feel like their actions always earn a negative response. Although it's important to identify mistakes, doing so without addressing improvements can cause frustration and even regression. Reviewing your child's actions without belittling her is essential to teaching her good habits.

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