Time out for Kids: Does it work?

It is interesting how parenting has evolved over the years. Growing up, a parent's facial expression would shut you up very quickly when you were being naughty, and now children are given 'time-out' or put in a 'naughty corner'. But does it really work?

So the purpose of time out is to stop the bad behavior, and it is more effective if the child understands why they are getting time out and that the behaviour/action should not be repeated. Some parents assume the child understands, which is why most of the time it does not have the desired effect on the child.


So how do you carry out effective time out?

1. It is important to explain what will happen should they continue with that behavior. The  onsequences should be made known beforehand

2. The time out area/chair should always be the same. It doesn't matter the age, if a child knows that spot/chair means trouble, they will take it more seriously. 

3. After you have warned them and they continue, you must immediately respond. Do not keep warning them and expect them to take you seriously. Warn them 3 times for example, and then take them to the naughty corner

4. State why they are getting time out. 'You are getting time out for throwing your whole meal on the floor'. By doing this, your child will understand what the time out is for and will ensure not to do it again. There is nothing worse than being given time out and not understand why, so make sure you state what it is for

5. If you have given your child time out before, you are guaranteed your child will know how to turn that boring activity into a creative one. If its playing with the floor, or counting the tiles, or following the crack on the wall, they will find something to do. So you need to ensure that the time out is not too long. It also depends with the age. Some suggest that up to 5 years its about 3 minutes, and up to ten years its 10minutes. The point is not to make it too long, nor too short for them to not think about what they have done. Use a timer so the child knows when their time is up, and they also avoid talking to you.

6. Once their time is up, ask them if they have understood why they were given time out and if they have understood that their behaviour was undesirable. 

Children are super clever, they learn to understand us more than we think they can, and hence get away with certain things. This makes parenting something different every single day, which makes it so exciting and crazy sometimes.

I hope this has helped someone today, and I hope it makes you even closer to being the best parent you can possibly be!

Till Next Monday

Stay Blessed

Tafi

#beingaparent