my work

Benefits of encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour

When it comes to behaviour it can be easy to focus on what we need to stop children from doing. The problem with this approach is that it does not help children know what they should be doing. This means that nowadays there is much more emphasis on encouraging positive behaviour .
A good starting point is to think about the positive behaviour or goals that you should be encouraging in children. This may be outlined in your settings policy or you may need to observe what other staff seem to encourage. If you are working in a setting that several ages of children notice the way in which there are different expectations according to the age of the children

Why encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour works
1. It helps children to learn what they need to do
2. It creates calmer environment and stronger relationships
3. Children respond well
4. Children learn from adults
Skills and techniques for positive behaviour
1. Rewards
2. Attention
3. Praise
4. Star charts
5. Being given responsibility
6. Treats
7. Stickers
8. Timing
9. Explanation
10. Public acknowledged

Settings for children and young people

Children centres children aged 0-5yrs
Day care facilcity children ages 0-5yrs
A home setting children aged 0-8yrs
Extended care children and young people 4-16yrs
Youth activity club young 11-16yrs
A reception class ks1 in a primary school
A crèche for children up to the age up to 5yrs

Attention seeking
What a child does
Many children show attention seeking behaviour at times . it can be a sign of insecurity or in some cases mean that children have become used to having a lot of adult attention
How to deal with it
It is often best to ignore attention seeking behaviour unless it is dangerous as by challenging it you may be teaching children that they can get attention this way
Biting
What a child does
Many toddlers bite especially if they are in group care. Biting is often linked to frustration and can become a habit
How to deal with it
Act immediately
Give the victim attention first
Once a child has bitten, it is likely that another bite will follow

Behaviour problems that should be referred

Biting, aggression, change of behaviour ,self-harming, bullying

It is unusual for most settings to try a few strategies’ first before referring to other professionals sometimes unwanted behaviour is a result of a medical condition or learning difficulty while others might be linked to emotional difficulty that the child has table 2 shows some of the pros who may support the child and their family.

GP family doctor
This is often the first part of call as the family doctor will able to refer to others.
Health visitor
A health visitor may visit the family at home and give some advice.
Educational physcologist
The educational physcologist will look at the children’s learning and behaviour.
Child psychiatrist
A child psychiatrist will help children who may have metal health issues.
Family counsellor
A family counsellor may help work with whole family and child.
Play therapist
Children who have had some trauma may see a play therapist so that they can work on what has happened.