There’s no single correct way to discipline a child and it’s normal to not know the best way to keep them well-behaved all the time. To help you navigate through the tough times of the “terrible twos” and toddler tantrums, we’ve interviewed 5 teachers from Mulberry Learning to get these tips on how to best deal with meltdowns.

Talk to your child at eye-level and reward them with praises for positive behaviour

It can be hard to hold on to the attention of an angry, crying child, but Teacher Logesh from Mulberry Learning shares that one sure way of getting the message across in a gentle yet firm manner is by lowering yourself to their level – literally – and maintaining good eye contact.

Not only will this remove the authoritative invisible barrier your child might be feeling, it’ll make him or her feel safer and more willing to open up in terms of what they’re going through. On top of this, be sure to praise your little one generously when good behaviour is observed! Positive reinforcement is always a good way to stave off a meltdown.

Distract your wailing child by starting a new activity

The short attention span of a child can be frustrating especially when you’re trying to get them to listen to you or to complete a task. But here’s a pro tip from Teacher Xu from Mulberry Learning: utilise this to your advantage – that also means you can stop the crying with a little distraction tactic. The next time you are faced with a wailing child, try initiating a new activity in place of something they can’t do or have. 

Make sure your child gets enough sleep

According to Teacher Colleen from Mulberry Learning, parents should be mindful of nap and bedtimes, and stick to a fixed routine of afternoon nap times as much as possible – so you can plan your schedule around your child and run errands easily. Something that isn’t as easy when your toddler is irritable and whiny.

In her years as a preschool teacher, Colleen has witnessed toddlers get hyper, extremely difficult and act out all in the name of poor sleep. It may be a good idea to train them to nap on the go in a stroller or a baby carrier from a young age, this will help reduce the limitations of naps and bedtimes.

Handling difficult children with tips from Mulberry Learning teachers

Children can be an angel in a moment and a terror in the next – we never know when we might have to deal with a meltdown. Even the best-behaved child can whine and make unreasonable demands sometimes – and that’s when we need to learn how to calmly deal with the situation. With advice from these teachers at Mulberry Learning, we can learn how to handle the challenges in parenting and even grow together with our kiddos. 

In addition, the curriculum at Mulberry Learning is also a rather unique one because it features the Habits of Mind™ framework that’s also adopted by the Ministry of Education in its Gifted Education Programme. This famed methodology introduces 16 good habits to children at a young age to help them manage their impulsivities, handle emotions better and acquire critical problem-solving skills.

Together with the Reggio Emilia approach, you can rest assured that your child will be able to grow holistically and acquire the relevant future-ready skill sets required for success in the world. You can read about our experience undergoing a day at one of their campuses here.

Read the full article with more parenting tips on TheSmartLocal.com here

*Article courtesy of TheSmartLocal.com Singapore, By Locals For Locals. 

Extracted from this article originally written by the team at TheSmartLocal.com and republished with permission.*