PREVENTING & GUIDING By Paige & Danica

CHALLENGING BEHAVIOURS: LYING

WHAT IS LYING?
• Deliberately making a false statement to deceive another person

• To lie successfully children must be able to assess their own and others
mental states

• Children must be able to produce verbal and non-verbal behaviors

that are consistent with the lie they have told Figure 1: Close up of female kid hand crossing
fingers behind her back.

(Talwar, V., Gordon, H. M., & Lee, K., 2007)

WHY DO CHILDREN LIE?
• Cover something up so they don’t get in trouble

• To test out a new behaviour

• To gain approval from their peers and build their self-esteem

• To gain attention

• To get something they want

• To spare someone’s feelings (a white lie)

(Child Mind Institute, n.d.; Raising Children Network, 2015)
STRATEGIES TO PREVENT LYING:
• Model the behavior you expect to see in your students

• Emphasize the importance of honesty in the classroom

• Avoid situations where a child may be tempted to lie

• Praise children when they learn a new concept or skill Figure 2: Group Of Elementary Age Children
In Art Class With Teacher.
• Don’t expect perfection from your students

• Read books to the class which highlight the importance of honesty

(Child Mind Institute, n.d.; Raising Children Network, 2015)

GUIDING AWAY FROM LYING
• Introducing a “clean-slate” policy
• Not correcting the child and pointing out their mistakes in front of others
• Set realistic goals
• Be persistent
• Always provide love and care

(Miller, 2016; SuperNanny, n.d.)

CONCLUSION
• What is lying?
• Reasons for lying
• Prevention and guidance strategies

Figure 3: Child Thinking Inside Library

REFERENCES
Child Mind Institute. (n.d.). Why kids lie and what parents can do about it. Retrieved from

https://childmind.org/article/why-kids-lie/

Child thinking inside library. [Photograph]. Retrieved October 19, 2018, from https://pixabay.com/en/shelf-library-
education-inside-3290109/

Close up of female kid hand crossing fingers behind her back. [Photograph]. Retrieved

October 15, 2018, from: https://www.shutterstock.com

Group Of Elementary Age Children In Art Class With Teacher. [Photograph]. Retrieved

October 15, 2018, from: https://www.shutterstock.com

Miller, D. F. (2016). Positive child guidance (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage

Raising Children Network. (2015). Lies: why children lie and what we do. Retrieved from

https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/behaviour/common-concerns/lies

SuperNanny,. (n.d.). How to deal with lying and encourage honesty. Retrieved from

https://www.supernanny.co.uk/Advice/-/Parenting-Skills/-/Discipline-and-Reward/How-to-deal-with-lying-and-

encourage-honesty-.aspx

Talwar, V., Gordon, H. M., & Lee, K. (2007). Lying in the elementary school years: Verbal

deception and its relation to second-order belief understanding. Developmental Psychology, 43(3), 804-810.

doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.3.804