Three Mistakes Parents Make with Preschoolers

Parenting must be the most difficult job in the world, one that comes with no manuals and kits but one that is full of new experiences every day. You will often be faced with a situation when your preschool child has the strong ability to push all your buttons, at once. Your patience flies out of the window and you can barely recognize yourself. And that is probably on a good day! Fear not parents, here is some help for you. Here are some things you can do right when faced with these trying situations.

Consistency

Pediatricians say that consistency is the biggest golden key for preschool and daycare aged children. When you are not consistent, be it with routines, mealtimes or sleep habits – a child gets easily confused and often acts out. Your child may wonder why she is terribly hungry today when she was fed before time yesterday. So, keep consistency as one of your mantras and a lot of problems will vanish.

Focus on the negative

Parents have this habit on focusing so much on the negative things their child does, the positive actions are sometimes downed. Parents, stop saying ‘don’t throw’, ‘’don’t hit’, ‘don’t break’ and start using positive words instead. Instead of saying ‘don’t drop it’, say ‘I love the way you are so careful in handling it’. Instead of saying ‘don’t run’, say ‘let’s walk here and run in the park’. See what a world of difference it makes.

Overdoing things

Let your preschool child enjoy his free time. You don’t have to line up his entire day with art class, music class and karate class. If he does not get enough rest, he will be whiny and cranky. After school hours, give him enough time to unwind, relax and be a child. Remember that play is one of the healthiest enrichment activity for a child of this age.

Happy Parenting!