Principles for Effective Guidance and Discipline

1. Discipline is not punishment, but an opportunity to help children behave appropriately.
2. Discipline includes preventing problems and helping child succeed.
3. Discipline helps children learn self-control and how to get along with others.
4. It is appropriate and necessary for children to be curious, experiment and test the limits.
5. The environment and routine should prevent crowding of children and other frustration or situations that lead to discipline concerns.
6. All children, at all times, including their most challenging moments, deserve respect.
7. Labeling children negatively affects everyone, especially the child.
8. Role-modeling appropriate behavior is more effective than telling children how to behave.
9. Before intervening, give children an opportunity to work out their struggles themselves, when possible.
10. Limit the use of the word, “No.”
11. Having a consistent adult response is the norm to redirecting behavior.
12. Praise good behavior and efforts or attempts at trying to behave appropriately.