Have you noticed your child act differently in the same situation?
You might have seen them clean up their toys, put on their shoes, and do other activities. Yet at home, they whine about completing simple activities. Why is that so?
This is due to the environment and people surrounding them. Do not bother, they definitely do not have split personalities. They test their limits with you as they know you will love them anyway even if they do not do any activities but at school. They see other kids and get influenced. Also, they have teachers who guide them and trick them to carry out activities in a friendly way.
So here are some borrowed strategies from the Nursery Montessori teachers which can help parents get the best from their children.
Essential Tips From Teachers of International School in Dubai
Promote Independence
Generally, 3- 4-year-olds need parents’ help but as per preschool experts kids are typically able to do more than many of us can even expect them to do. So expect more from your child. Let them do the task by themselves. You can guide them initially and later ask them to do it on their own so that they learn slowly themselves. You should assign them tougher tasks to stretch their limits as raising the bar every time will help them stretch the limit and achieve it.
Resist doing work for them
As you may think, assigning them tasks means they will take long hours to do so, so you might end up doing it for them to save time. Avoid that mistake initially. It will take time but with regular practice, they will learn to do it fast and become self-sufficient.
Don’t redo what they’ve done.
Parents have the tendency to do things according to their own set of rules. So when you assign your child a task, teach them initially then later let them do it on their own. Do not change it if it’s not according to your expectations. Instead, you can instruct them to redo things and complete the task on their own. Appreciate them every time so that they get motivated to do it next time.
Let your kid solve simple problems.
If you see your child doing some activity on their own and they are struggling or concentrating to complete the task, just pause and do not rush. It is important to intervene only when necessary and encourage them to figure out the solution themselves most of the time.
International schools in Dubai and their teachers follow this technique as they believe when we give children a moment to solve things on their own. Those are the character-building moments where they can experience success which is essential to building creative thinking and confidence in them.
Assign the kids a friendly task
Putting your child in charge of simple day-to-day activities will build their confidence and sense of competency.
For eg:-Watering the plants, feeding pets if any, folding clothes, keeping toys in the toy basket, etc.
The goal is to build trust in them about their capabilities and make them feel like contributing members of the family.
Encouraging Cooperation
You must have noticed children in a Nursery Montessori class sit quietly, following instructions, raising their hands to speak, etc., by cooperating with each other. So how do teachers control so many children and make them cooperate, willingly and happily?.
The answer is praising children often and reminding them about their positive attributes.
In school, children get influenced by watching other children doing things and getting appreciation. At home, if your child is not cooperating, tell them how their friend has done the activity, praise them for their ability and encourage them to do it.
Kids repeat behaviors for which they are praised and get attention.
Set routines.
One reason is children cooperate in school because they know what’s expected of them and follow the same routine every day. So they automatically do their tasks without reminders.
So, set some good habits and routines, and ask them to follow them daily. The more consistent they are, the more cooperative they will be. Following good habits will become second nature which will stay with them throughout their lifetime.
Turn responsibilities into a game
Children love to play and if given a task in the form of a game or play, they will do it happily. If your child refuses to do something, turn that activity into an interesting game or play in a fun way and then encourage them to do it.
Humour and games are 2 ways parents can use to get things done by children willingly.
Give advanced notice before transitions.
Children misbehave or do not cooperate if they are not given enough time to transition or given advance notice of upcoming things.
For eg:- if your child has school tomorrow, you need to make sure to tell them in advance that they need to sleep early by a set time so that they get up early. We should inform them that the set hours are about to happen; For eg:- If it is 8.30, they will get to play for half an hour and instruct them that as the clock reaches nine they have to go to sleep.
International schools in Dubai teachers give them advance notice for the next task. In this way, the child knows what they are expected to do and is given enough time which makes their mind ready for the next action. They would be willingly do things without being cranky.
Rewards judiciously
Appreciation and praise are good but rewarding them daily or bribing them to do everyday tasks should be avoided as they will do things only for rewards.
We should do rewarding when they do some good things for the first time to appreciate their effort.
Give structured choices
If your child refuses to do something give them structured choices. Such as choosing option A (more attractive) or option B (less attractive) so that you encourage them to choose option A.
Avoid threatening or using “if” statements.
Children understand and co-operate if we request them politely. Choosing negative language or threatening them or using an “if” statement will make them more aggressive and they will not cooperate, plus it will put a negative impact on them.
Restrict their entertainment hours
Preschool teachers suggest children should watch less tv and mobile videos, or gaming. Set 1-2 hours daily when they are not allowed to watch TV or mobiles. Instead, give them papers and colors to draw and let them use their creativity or imaginations.
Let them get bored so that they use their creativity to do something. Give them creative material to try their hands-on, and get practical experience.
Rely on distractions.
If your preschooler is distracting others, then the best way to put them into discipline is by relying on distractions. For eg:- if they are jumping on the couch distract them with a statement by saying will they like to draw a picture or paint. In this way, you trick them not to do things.
Conclusion
These parenting techniques are Nursery Montessori teachers’ strategies to get the kids under control and develop discipline habits that last lifelong. Use these strategies at home to promote independence. Develop confidence and make them self-sufficient.