Dear Adina,
Whenever I pick my 2 and 3 year old up from preschool they run ahead of me and go into the street. I really don’t want to hit them even lightly on the hand when they do it, but what else can I do?
Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, hitting does not really work in these situations. I should say, rather, it might work, but it means that you are sending the message that hitting is okay.
Here are some ideas on how you can help your children behave and walks safely in the street:
1. Role play:
Whenever you want to teach your kids a better behavior it is good to practice beforehand how you expect them to behave.
You can role play with them. Park your car in your driveway and show them how you expect them to walk to and from the car.
You can say:
“We need to work on our safety in the street. We are going to practice how we should get in and out of the car.”
“We are going to pretend that our driveway is the street.”
“We are going to leave the house and pretend that we are leaving preschool. When we leave the house we are going to hold hands as we walk to the car. Holding hands is a safe way to walk in the street.”
“Let’s start in the living room that will be your pretend classroom. You can walk by yourself to the door of the house. Then at the door we are going to hold hands and pretend that outside our door is the street.”
Kids love to role play and it is a great way to teach kids to improve their behavior.
2. Positive reinforcement:
As they follow your pretend directions make sure to praise them:
“You walked holding Mommy’s hand the whole time in the pretend street. I know you will do this when we get to the real street when I pick you up from preschool.
3. You are now ready for the real street:
When you pick them up from your classroom, make sure to remind them of the safe way that they are going to walk in the street:
“Remember what we practiced. We are going to do the same thing for real today. You can walk by yourself to the door and then when we get to the door, we hold hands so that we can walk safely in the street.”
You can also praise them as you walk to the door, and say:
“I know today you will remember to walk safely in the street. I know you will remember to hold Mommy’s hand and walk slowly.”
4. But what if they mess up:
If they revert to their old ways, talk about your feelings and the rules:
“Oh no! You forgot the rules! You forgot what we practiced. I get upset when children run in the parking lot. It is not safe. I think we need to practice again!
I hope this helped!
Good Luck,
Adina
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