Introduction:

Every parent we have ever met wants to have a smart child and be a smart parent. Raising a child is the most important responsibility anyone will ever have and can provide the most pleasure and reward.

SMART PARENT/SMART CHILD is the revolutionary philosophy that all children are incredibly intelligent from the moment they are born. When parents have learned understanding, respect, highly developed communication and relationship skills and development related expertise, it is amazing what a child can accomplish and, in fact, each child will achieve his maximum potential.


Our mission is to help you achieve that goal. The key to a child's education and success is a skilled, knowledgeable, informed and educated parent.

This blog addresses specific issues, to really be the best parent possible the book is a must!

Friday, February 26, 2016

Turning A Typical Behavior Into A Productive Teaching Opportunity

David, at seventeen months, has begun throwing toys on a sporadic basis for several days then accelerated it significantly in the next week. This was without regard for whom or what the object may be hitting.

He was totally ignoring any suggestion to stop this behavior, nor did he seem to care if another child was hurt in the process.

We also noticed a significant change in his play habits. He was spending play time collecting and exchanging toys instead of playing skillfully with them. Mostly the toys he was throwing were those he had targeted to exchange.

We began his next day by sharing with him that he had to really think before he chooses a toy because he would be responsible to play with it for ten minutes. This decision making process does require some interaction, requiring him to choose a toy he really wants.

He finally decides on a construction roller with a driver that he selects from the big playhouse. Within a few minutes, he instinctively looks around the room and starts walking over to the storage area for cars. He is stopped and reminded of his ten minute play commitment.

He does require a few suggestions i.e. building a road with blocks that he can repair. He ends up spending twenty minutes on the project with no additional toys or exchanges. We repeat this process a few times throughout playtime and notice he has not thrown a toy all morning.

Like all toddlers, he is experiencing new interests and new skills. He has successfully moved out of a behavior that was completely unproductive, potentially harmful to his friends, and with no redeeming qualities.

To be successful with any behavior change, you need to stay focuses on providing your child with clear directives toward positive behavior that you expect from them.

Not surprisingly, he realized he was being expected to follow the guidelines we have for the older children. Some of his resistance in other areas disappeared as a result of this such as improved sharing and decreased grabbing and showing aggression to the younger children.

With very little effort on our part, he moved himself into a new level of maturity.

Always focus on the positive solution!


Good luck!

No comments:

Post a Comment