Make it logical
A consequence should relate to the situation at hand and promote the behavior you want. If your child, like Matthew, doesn’t put his things away, you might say he has to store them away for a period of time. Living without them may make cleaning up more important to him.
Keep it reasonable
Take into account your youngster’s age and stage of development. A little one may lose screen time for a day if he won’t turn off the TV when you ask him to. An older child might have to go without electronics for a week if you see him posting on a social media site he’s not allowed to use.
Allow natural outcomes
Let your youngster learn from what happens naturally. Say he wants to wear his school T-shirt on Spirit Day, but he didn’t put it in the hamper. The result? He will need to wear something else. Or if he forgets his trumpet on band day, he won’t be able to play his instrument with the rest of the class.♥
Organized All Day Long
Morning
❏ Show your child how to set an alarm that will wake him up in time to get ready for school.
❏ On a sheet of paper, help him draw or list morning tasks, such as “make bed” and “brush teeth.” Let him post the list where he can see it (say, by his bed or on the bathroom mirror).
After school
❏ Have your youngster go through his backpack to take out homework and throw away trash. To store work he wants to save, he might use folders
or a shoebox.
❏ Ask him to place papers for you in a special spot, perhaps a basket. Look them over, and sign papers as needed.
Nighttime
❏ Before bed, your child should put needed items in his backpack. Examples: completed assignments, signed permission slips, show-and-tell objects.
❏ Suggest that he pick out clothes and choose breakfast foods for the next day. He could get a head start by setting out cereal, fresh fruit, and a bowl and spoon.♥
© 2017 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated