Do's and Don'ts in Guiding Young Kids

I promised you guys a few posts on simple handouts that I recently found in my old files, so here ya go.  When giving these out to parents, I learned that keeping tips short and sweet and on one page would get the best results. Because as you know as parents, we don't have time for long winded explanations!

This particular tip sheet actually came from my old days of college when I was a child development major and training to work with the children at my school's preschool.  It's a great way to give commands or directives to your child.  They are great alternatives to saying "don't" all the time.  As an adult, I don't like people telling me 'don't' all the time, so as a child I know I would feel much more able to comply and learn correctly if someone gave me 'nicer' directives :)


         Do Say                                                                               Don't Say

Sit down when you slide                                             Don't stand up when you slide
Dig in the sand                                                            Don't throw the sand
Sit in the swing                                                           Don't stand in the swing
Use both hands to climb                                             You'll fall if you don't watch out
Climb down the ladder                                                Don't jump off the box
Walk around the swing                                               Be careful, the swing might hit you


Keep the puzzle on the table                                      Don't dump the puzzle pieces on the floor
Turn the pages carefully                                            Don't tear the book
Talk in a quiet voice                                                  Don't shout
Wipe your hands on the towel                                   Don't touch anything
Chairs are for sitting in                                              Don't rock in your chair
Wipe your brush on the jar                                        Don't drip paint on the floor
Hands are not for hitting                                            Don't hit your sister
Walls are not for painting on                                     Don't get paint on the wall  


These tips I've known for some time now, but I realized how easy it is to forget to also follow through after you tell them what not to do.  For instance, this morning my child was banging her fork on the table because she thought it was funny. So I told her 'forks are not for banging on the table' and then realized I needed to follow through on re-directing.  So then I said, "forks are for eating with.." so she just doesn't hear the negative, but understands what you CAN DO instead and it ends on a more positive note.  Now if I can just remember this all the time..well, maybe 4 out of 10 times :)