Positive Parenting Tip Sheet

Positive Parenting is a way to parent your child that focuses more
on your child’s positive behaviors rather than on your child’s problem
Behaviors.

Things to do:
• Praise your child and tell him exactly what you like about his
behavior. “I like how you cleaned up your toys!”
• Ignore minor negative behaviors such as whining and screaming.
• Play with your child for about 5 minutes a day and let her lead
the play.
•Actively listen to your child by reflecting what he says back to him.
“I understand that you want another cookie.”
•Use a when-then approach. “When you put on your shoes, then you
can go outside.”
• Tell your child what to do instead of what not to do. “Please walk”
instead of “Stop running.”
•Redirect your child by making something else seem more interesting.

Things to avoid:
•Spanking or threatening your child. These increase hitting and other
negative behavior.
• Yelling and screaming at your child.
•Teasing and laughing at your child’s negative behavior.
•Giving attention to negative attention-seeking behavior.

Things we know:
• Being consistent lets your child know what to expect and lets your
children know that you mean what you say.
•Offering a child choices between 2 possibilities gives the child a
sense of control. “Do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt?”
•Rewarding good behavior increases the chances of that behavior
happening again.
• Picking your battles allows you to work on one thing at a time.