How to Get Kids to Act Equally Well at Home and School
Understand what’s happening at school and at home., Make consistencies between home and school., Redirect their attention.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Understand what’s happening at school and at home.
Your child may respect authority or want to avoid trouble at school, yet may perceive less risk or threat at home.
Perhaps your child enjoys getting praise and positive feedback from teachers and works hard to achieve it, yet could use more positive praise at home.
Think about what problems exist at home and what contributes to them.
You may need to offer your child more praise for when you catch them being good or following the rules.Be aware that your child may be getting more praise at school than at home.
Make sure to acknowledge the good things your child does to balance anything you correct them on.
Often, problem behaviors at home indicate a power struggle.
If your child tends to get their way when they tantrum or throw a fit, they’ll rely on this technique to continue to get what they want at home yet know it won’t work at school. -
Step 2: Make consistencies between home and school.
If your child is succeeding in one environment and not the other, see about making consistencies between both environments.
Connect with your child’s teacher and see what systems they implement in the classroom and make a similar system at home.
Replicate consequences and expectations so your child has a near-seamless transition from one environment to the other.Ask their teacher for feedback for when your child is doing well and when they are struggling with rules or behavior. , Teachers often redirect their students’ attention so they stay on task and don’t disrupt other children.
Kids may start to tune out “Stop” or “No” or “Don’t do that,” so focus on purposefully redirecting their attention to a different task or activity.
Replace their behavior with a positive behavior.If your child is running around the house, ask them to walk like they’re crossing a high, rickety bridge.
If your child is fighting with a sibling, ask them to play with the dog or start a puzzle. -
Step 3: Redirect their attention.
Detailed Guide
Your child may respect authority or want to avoid trouble at school, yet may perceive less risk or threat at home.
Perhaps your child enjoys getting praise and positive feedback from teachers and works hard to achieve it, yet could use more positive praise at home.
Think about what problems exist at home and what contributes to them.
You may need to offer your child more praise for when you catch them being good or following the rules.Be aware that your child may be getting more praise at school than at home.
Make sure to acknowledge the good things your child does to balance anything you correct them on.
Often, problem behaviors at home indicate a power struggle.
If your child tends to get their way when they tantrum or throw a fit, they’ll rely on this technique to continue to get what they want at home yet know it won’t work at school.
If your child is succeeding in one environment and not the other, see about making consistencies between both environments.
Connect with your child’s teacher and see what systems they implement in the classroom and make a similar system at home.
Replicate consequences and expectations so your child has a near-seamless transition from one environment to the other.Ask their teacher for feedback for when your child is doing well and when they are struggling with rules or behavior. , Teachers often redirect their students’ attention so they stay on task and don’t disrupt other children.
Kids may start to tune out “Stop” or “No” or “Don’t do that,” so focus on purposefully redirecting their attention to a different task or activity.
Replace their behavior with a positive behavior.If your child is running around the house, ask them to walk like they’re crossing a high, rickety bridge.
If your child is fighting with a sibling, ask them to play with the dog or start a puzzle.
About the Author
Kimberly Sanchez
Kimberly Sanchez is an experienced writer with over 11 years of expertise in education and learning. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Kimberly creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: