Caregivers can promote healthy relationships with children by developing trust, good communication skills, and promoting positive behaviour. This will positively impact their overall behaviour, mental well-being and prepare them for the future.
Babysitting is an interesting and enriching experience: it is an opportunity to interact with brilliant young minds who are living in “their own world”. Through babysitting, you develop a rich set of skills including patience, self-control, basic first aid skills, time management and more.
Dealing with children can nonetheless be a daunting task. Children are spontaneous and act impulsively, their behaviour changes with their mood each day. Factors such as insufficient sleep, fatigue or hunger also influence their behaviour. There are times where children misbehave and all efforts to control their behaviour can prove futile. However, misbehaving is a normal part of child development, a part we have been guilty of!
Qualities that positively influence child behaviour.
Tips with dealing with challenging children.
Discover childcare opportunities and work with French children in Lyon.
What qualities positively influence child behaviour?
Over the years, extensive research has suggested measures on dealing with difficult or challenging children. Some parents, teachers and childcare professionals have found these measures to be effective while others have had limited success. In other words, there is no perfect way to deal with children who are struggling with their behaviour.
A lot of children are at the stage in life where they are still discovering ways to deal with the rollercoaster of emotions and feelings that they encounter. Children can try to communicate why they’re upset or acting out of character but it is often up to the parents, teachers, or babysitters to guess what is wrong.
Psychologists have discovered that children's behaviour might stem from their temperament, genetics and external factors such as fatigue, hunger and frustration.
As caregivers, we should aim to establish a good connection with children from their first meeting. This helps build trust so the child isn’t scared to approach us when needed. This helps build trust so the child feels able to approach you whenever they need. You are also able to empathize with them and determine the cause of any upset. Without trust, a child might develop
fear and anger towards the caregiver, especially if they feel unequal or unheard.
Measures that be can be employed while dealing with challenging children.
For younger children and toddlers, activities such as reciting poems and singing songs can redirect their attention and distract them from their emotions. These methods work well when the children are exhausted, having a meltdown, or feeling unmotivated. Another method to manage behaviour is the infamous “time-out”. Dreaded by some, this method is nonetheless an effective form of discipline for certain children. It is important to consider if this method will be effective for your child: introverted children will enjoy time out and will often misbehave in order to get such punishment while extroverted ones will dread it and act like their world has come to an end.
Finally, it is crucial to model good behaviour as caregivers, as most children mimic the behavior of adults. For example, if you struggle to control your temper and use foul language, children pick up on such behavior and reproduce it. Caregivers should also frequently use words such as please, I am sorry, thank you, etc. so that politeness becomes a part of the child's daily vocabulary. Using positive language can help children develop an overall positive attitude towards life!
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