Children Behavior Management
Discipline Do’s & Don’ts
Don’t…
Using scare tactics: it is never okay to scare
a child or use fear to redirect a behavior.
The behavior is not changed for the better
but rather, only changed for the specific
person the student has become fearful of.
Raising your Voice: never yell at the
students out of anger!
Young children will often test our patience
and get us emotionally caught up in the
moment. Remember, they are children and
often don’t realize the effect of their
actions.
Favoritism: favor one child over the other. Be fair and consistent: the same rules and
One child does not get in trouble and the
other does for doing the exact same thing.
Redirect without using the color signals:
the color chart system loses its value and
importance to the students when they see
it not being used consistently.
Address behavior at a later time or with an Address behavior immediately or as soon
inappropriate consequence;
Having too much energy and running
around classroom = 10min. no gym; this
does not work because child needs gym to
burn off energy and will instead continue to
run
Do…
Use sympathy: Let the child know how
sad…
-his classmate feels
-you feel
-mom and dad would feel
-how he would feel if that was done to
him
that he’s making a poor choice. Help him
understand why that choice is not okay and
what would happen if he continues it.
Use a stern, calm voice: model what you
want from them-Respect.
It is okay to use a stern voice to let the child
know you are unhappy about the situation,
or that it is not a joking matter when it
comes to following the school rules. It is
important to put emotions aside, and speak
fairly to each child.
consequences for all students at all time.
It is up to you what you let the kids get
away with but make sure it applies to all
students.
Use the color chart to reinforce behavior:
if a child is doing well, move them up; if
they had to be redirected move them
down. Sometimes simply saying their name
and moving them is enough for them to
understand what is happening whether it
was good or bad.
as possible; consequences should fit the
action
Running= practice walking for 1 min.
Not lining up = practice lining up 3 times
Taking friend’s things= giving item back,
saying sorry (try but don’t force)
Children Behavior Management

Helpful Disciplining Strategies

Positive call outs Bring attention to the right behavior by calling out good students.
“I see SeoJun sitting nicely, who else is sitting nicely?”
“Sophia is doing an amazing job working quietly, thank you Sophia!”
“Jon is working nicely too…who else do I see working nicely?”

Proximity: hover! Move around the room often and stay close to children that are
potential behavior problems. By just standing next to them, they are
less likely to act up.

Watch your time! Keep track of how long students have been doing an activity or how
long they’ve been in that physical position. Young students have a
short attention span, they don’t always mean to be disruptive, but your
activity may be bringing them stress if it goes on for too long.
Switch activities up every 10+ minutes or provide them with a quick
“brain break” by pausing the activity. (*see Make It Fun section below)

Say their name Especially with kids who don’t listen to you the first time, say their
first name first and what you want them to do next. It makes it harder for
them to ignore you. It is also best to come close to them rather than
yell from across the room. This ensures student accountability and they
are more likely to listen.

Avoid say “no!” Saying “no,” often begins a power struggle with the student. Rather
when possible than say “don’t run,” or “no talking” try a positive phrase that is neutral
such as, “walk please,” or “quiet please.” Gentle phrases are more
nurturing and respectful and more likely to motivate the student to
listen. Positive direction given with Positive call outs (mentioned
above) make a very powerful combo when dealing with discipline.

Change "go" to Positive commands yield positive results more so than negative ones.
"come" Again, changes simple words can turn a situation from one of
confrontation to one of cooperation.
Confrontation: “Go sit down at the table!”
Cooperation: “Come with me to the table so you can sit down.”

Give them a do- On minor incidents (you decide what you will tolerate) allow the
over opportunity for a do-over and give the students a chance to change
their choices and make you proud. Seeing an adult disappointed is
more powerful than being yelled at.
“Ginny and Jun, please make a different choice.”
If they don’t come up with a better choice, of course, follow up with a
consequence.
Children Behavior Management

Get on your By lowering yourself to look at the child square in the eye, you change
knees the situation to a huge scary interaction to a direct conversation from
one person to another. Students who feel respected also give respect
back in return.

Channel their When a student keeps repeatedly acting out in a particular way, find a
"superpower" positive use of his “power” for good.
High energy: carry books back and forth returning them to library
Bossy: chair inspection, to make sure everyone remember to push in
Interruptive know-it-all: assignment checker, partner helper

Do a “switch up!” Sometimes students get caught up in the moment, whether it be tattle
telling on a peer, refusal to put a toy away, diffuse the situation by
switching up their options and removing them from conflict.
Example: A student tells on Scott for calling his name and refusing to
stop. Take Scott by the hand and remove him from conflict: “Scott,
come over here and help me make sure I have enough bowls for
snack.” This way Scott is getting the attention he needs in a positive
way and may even feel useful to the classroom now.

Be assertive Stand up straight as you let the class know what’s going to happen so
there’s no doubt of who’s in charge. Be clear when your assertive:
“Okay, today we’re going to clean up our crayons” works better than,
“well, I was thinking maybe today we clean up crayons.”
Be assertive doesn’t mean you have to be a drill sergeant; students
need cheerleaders to encourage them to make the right choices. So,
try to be optimistic, cheerful, and firm about what needs to be done.

Model correct Sometimes students can get overly excited, blurting out answers, or
behavior moving ahead in the book.
Rather than being quick to enforce a penalty, try using taking the
opportunity model the correct behavior and bring attention to what
you would like to happen.
“Whoops, let’s try that again. I’m going to read this page again, and
we’re going to see if everyone can be nice and quiet the whole time.”
Praise the kids/have them clap if they get it right.
Or, you may even choose a few students to model the behavior
correctly, “Okay, let’s all watch Sun and Jun while they listen to this
page quietly.” Again, praise them for their positive choices. If a child
continues to persist with incorrect behavior, it may be willfulness and
that child may be redirected with an appropriate consequence.

Make it fun! Quiet Race: Quiet signal is given, last one to do it must hop 5 times
Activity Breaks: touch something yellow! Travel like a rabbit
Learning games: Yes no line, sticky ball games
Following directions games: Simon says
Children Behavior Management