Promoting Positive Social Behaviours
Positive social behaviours include:
- sharing and turn taking
- problem solving
- generosity and kindness towards others
Children can begin to learn positive social behaviours from an early age when we teach them through modelling, coaching and through the use of specific activities.
Skills required for sharing:
- Children need to learn how to ask for things they would like to use or to join in with another child and to assertively and politely respond to others’ requests.
- Children need to learn how to wait patiently or find something else to do while they wait for an item they have asked for.
- Children need to learn to part with items that they are no longer using and that another child is waiting for.
- Children need to learn to treat borrowed items with the same level of care that they would expect from others.
Recommended approach for helping children learn to problem solve:
- Clarify the problem
- Acknowledge feelings
- Explore options for a possible solution
- Empower children to decide on one of these solutions
- Specific activities to promote kindness and generosity:
- Donations
- Kind and helpful jars
- Stories
Key Reflection Questions
How can I better teach my children to share and take turns?
How can I better support my children to solve problems?
What ideas do I have for promoting kindness and generous behaviour in my home?
