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Tips to Shaping Behaviour
‘Shaping’, means providing the child with cues and reinforcements that direct them toward desirable behaviour. As you shape behaviour, the child's personality tags along and also changes and improves. The main ways to shape a child's behaviour are through:
• work on emotional literacy
• assess and identify what needs to change – plan small steps
• give child ownership – through negotiation
• praise and reward - immediately
• selective ignoring - focus on primary needs
• time-out - recognise your own emotions/belief system
• choice - consequences
• work to maintain behaviour; motivators – take lead from child
• explain and give reminders
• patience, humour and honest
and you?
• establish a relationship of trust
• listen and empathise with the child’s personal story – what is in their worry sack?
• promote a positive image of the child and when required replace the negative conceptions with positive ones; consider group dynamics
• make positive assessments, by seeking out and pointing out that which is already positive in the child's behaviour
• interpret the child's behaviour and work out conflict resolution
• give examples through stories and illustration
• give practical demonstrations to child, role modelling, different aspects of good quality interaction.
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