The word reinforce is used to describe the strengthening of an object or concept. In child psychology, reinforcement refers to a kind of interaction between you and your child that will foster or increase the chance of them behaving in a certain way.
This is when you provide a positive stimulus such as positive words of praise or a treat in order to reinforce positive behaviour.
This is when a negative stimulus is removed because your child has behaved in the appropriate manner.
An example of this would be your child picking up their toys in order to avoid getting into trouble.
This is when negative consequences are implemented after the bad behaviour has occurred.
Shouting at your child for misbehaving or reprimanding them in front of their friends are both examples of Positive Punishment. However, this is NOT the right way to respond as this can be very embarrassing for the child and it will teach your child to do likewise to others. The same applies to hitting a child. It will teach a child (especially if they are too young to express themselves) that this is how one reacts to others.
This is when a reinforcing item or activity is taken away after the bad behaviour has occurred.
An example of this would be taking away your child's toy for fighting with their sibling.
Today, thanks to researchers around the world, we know that positive reinforcement is the most powerful and effective of all of these interactions.
Children and adults all respond better to positive reinforcing stimuli and through focusing on the positive aspects of the situation and positive thinking.
It’s important to decide what behaviours you value the most and would like to instil in your children. Some principles that most people value are compassion for others, respect, cleanliness, humility and honesty.
Rewarding your child when they display any of the valued traits will help them identify these traits as good and rewarding.
Additionally, you should choose rewards that are meaningful to your child. These rewards may need to be updated regularly in order to maintain their impact.
Punishments have also been shown to be effective when implemented correctly, however, negative interactions with your children can lead to responses such as anger, resentment and low self-esteem.
In certain cases, punishment may be an appropriate response, but we urge you to try a more positive approach to parenting.
It’s important to remember when punishing your child to not act out of anger but to rather respond in a calm, authoritative manner. Always explain to your child the reason they are being punished.
If you started a new job and instead of being praised for what you were doing right, you were just told about everything you were doing wrong and had all your mistakes highlighted and portrayed in a negative view, you would not be very motivated to achieve and do good.
The same can be said for your children and the new job they have started called life.
Positive reinforcement is extremely important at our Educare centre. Our aim is to help children grow and develop valuable life lessons at our centre, all while having fun and feeling safe and comfortable.
For more information about our Educare Centre, please contact us.
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