Guiding Children’s Behavior: Developmental Discipline in the Classroom

Guiding Children’s Behavior is a valuable guide to behavior management for teachers, parents, and other caregivers. The authors advocate using
developmental discipline
to individualize discipline practices for children - from birth through elementary school. Starting with infancy, the authors explain that typical daily routines are prime opportunities for parents and childcare providers to introduce limits to very young children. Adults are encouraged to look at a child’s negative behaviors such as saying,
no,
or hitting within the context of normal child development. The authors then look at ways to guide the behavior of preschoolers and kindergartners who are dealing with new experiences outside of the family. Next, they discuss developmental discipline with school-age children, offering approaches for older children who are grappling with social, emotional, and physical changes. The authors also examine the effectiveness of frequently used discipline methods, such as time-outs and coerced apologies. The final chapter emphasizes the importance of teachers and parents working together to create more consistency between home and school.