What Bad Habits Must Be Corrected in Preschool Children?

What Bad Habits Must Be Corrected in Preschool children?

Preschool children, aged 2 to 6, are lively and adorable, but some of their behaviors can be frustrating for parents and may develop into bad habits. Pediatric experts in the United States have summarized some effective methods to deal with children's bad habits, which are presented below:

(1) Complaining: When preschoolers complain, it is their way of expressing dissatisfaction or anger. If parents respond with strong irritation when their children complain, it often backfires. When a child complains, parents can first acknowledge their feelings and say something like, "Mom knows you're upset because the toy broke and you can't play with it. I will find time to fix it for you." First, let the child's emotions calm down, and then explain that there is no need to complain.

(2) Tantrums: When preschoolers don't get what they want, they may cry, throw tantrums, stomp their feet, or lie on the ground refusing to get up. This is a behavior used to manipulate parents. At this point, the child has lost all reason, and parents reasoning with them is often futile. Parents should not rush to help the child up; instead, they can let the child have a little tantrum. After the child calms down and gets up by themselves, parents can take them to a quiet place and patiently reason and educate them.

(3) Always Saying "No" and Opposing Parents: When a child says "no" to you, it indicates that they are starting to form their own opinions about things. Therefore, when parents ask children to do something, they should not use a commanding tone but a constructive one. For example, say, "Can you help Mom do something?" This reflects an equal relationship between mother and child, showing respect for the child's will, which often elicits a positive response from the child.

(4) Aggressive Behavior: When children face discrimination or insults, they may exhibit aggressive behavior. If a child is angry, parents should moderately acknowledge this emotion and allow them to vent. Once the aggressive behavior is stopped, and the child has calmed down, parents can use reasoning to explain to the child that being impolite to others is wrong, and aggressive behavior can cause harm and is a sign of weakness.

(5) Lack of Patience: Sometimes children want something and can't wait to have it immediately. This impatience is normal for young children. At this time, parents should not blame them for lacking patience; instead, they should wait until the child's brain develops to the stage of "being able to wait." This will help the child develop patience, which is beneficial for them to cope with setbacks and future challenges in life. So, whenever a child makes a request, parents can respond a little slower, allowing the child to gradually adapt to waiting and learn to be patient.

(6) Interrupting Conversations: If a child always interrupts their parents' conversations, it may be because they feel rejected too many times. The root cause of this phenomenon lies in various electronic devices such as phones and computers. Parents should control the time spent using electronic devices and talk more and play with their children. Through parent-child interaction, such as eye contact, hugs, or telling stories together, children's habit of interrupting can gradually be curbed.

(7) Poor Hygiene: Parents should educate children about the harm of poor hygiene to their health and encourage them to develop good hygiene habits. Children need to understand that only by having good health during childhood can they be healthy when they grow up.

(8) Overindulging in Snacks: Parents should inform children about the health risks of consuming too many snacks and teach them to make sensible food choices while paying attention to balanced nutrition.