An important area of focus during the stages of early childhood development, is the positive reinforcement of good behaviour.

In essence, we teach our children how to behave through how we respond to their behaviour. Therefore, it’s important to understand which behaviours deserve attention and which should be ignored.

Positive Reinforcement for Kids During Early Childhood Development

It’s completely natural for children to seek attention from adults or caregivers. It’s also normal for adults to automatically respond to children who are asking for attention.

However, there is a difference between positive and negative attention, each one producing different outcomes.

So, in order to encourage good behaviour in your child, you will need to adopt a few positive reinforcement strategies.

First, let’s understand the difference between positive and negative attention as well as the effects of each.

Negative Attention

This is the type of response you give to a child who is acting out in a negative way in order to get a response from you.

Negative behaviour often encourages negative attention. For example, your child is jumping on furniture, or nagging you to give them a sweet or chocolate.

You respond with something like “stop that now!” or “don’t do that!”. Now, you have responded to your child’s bad behaviour, automatically reinforcing it.

It may seem harsh, but ignoring obnoxious, attention-seeking behaviour is the best way to avoid reinforcing it.

Positive Attention

This is the type of attention you willingly give to a child who is demonstrating positive behaviour. You can do this by offering praise or words of encouragement when you see your child do something good.

Examples of Positive Reinforcement Strategies

• Giving your child a high-five
• Saying out loud to another adult how proud you are of your child while he or she is listening
• Offering your child an enthusiastic hug
• Verbal praise such as “good job” or “I’m so proud of you”

These are many different types of reward systems that can be used as positive reinforcement, but, be aware of the fine line between positive reinforcement and bribery.

What Sort of Behaviour Should you Reinforce?

Any behaviour that you think is good, constructive and pleasant should be reinforced. These can include things like:

• Carrying out a request right away, or without you having to ask
• Waiting patiently
• Completing chores
• Trying very hard to complete a challenging task
• Sharing or playing nicely with a sibling
• Using manners when interacting with others

Using Positive Reinforcement to Change Behaviour

There are many wonderful effects of positive reinforcement during early childhood development and beyond.

Some of these benefits include:

• Your child develops positive habits
• Your child is encouraged to behave in a positive way
• Your child will be less inclined to behave badly
• A positive home environment and overall atmosphere is created

Kay Dee Educare Centre Mowbray – Early Childhood Development

For more tips on how to positively reinforce your child’s good behaviour and why it’s a fundamental part of early childhood development, please contact us.