Parenting Tips
Are you struggling to get a grip on parenting a preschooler?
Try these practical tips to help you develop a positive relationship
with your child, laying a foundation for the years ahead.
- Call your preschooler by his/her name. This shows respect to the child.
- Say “I love you” to your preschooler several times each day. Be generous with hugs.
- Say “please” when making a request and “thank you” when the request is completed. Avoid constantly “telling” your child what to do.
- Be consistent. Follow through when you have made clear what is expected. Use a soft, kind voice. Offer words of praise often.
- Encourage your child to think. Ask open-ended questions – ones that cannot be answered with yes, no, or one word. For example, “What do you like about the zoo?”
- Actively listen when your preschooler is talking by getting down on his level and making eye contact. Acknowledge his conversation. Express interest in the child’s interests.
- Encourage your child to use her own words to express her needs or feelings. Example, “I am angry because Jenny hit me,” or “May I have some milk, please?”
- Slow down. Say “no” to too many commitments. Make home and family a priority.
- Spend time with your preschooler each day doing what he wants to do – playing in the floor, going for a walk, rolling a ball, swinging. Avoid saying, “hurry up” or implying it.
- Establish routines. Waking up, eating meals, taking naps, and going to bed in his own bed at the same time each day helps a preschooler feel secure.
- Sit down each day at the table with the TV off for a meal together as a family. Say the blessing before eating.
- Encourage your child to play outside every day. Physical exercise promotes the total development of your child – physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
- Read to your preschooler every day. Select books with large print, color pictures, and few words on a page.
-
Avoid competitive sports. Allow your child to grow and develop at his own pace without the pressure of organized competition.
-
Attend church regularly as a family.
This publication is made possible through the
Cooperative Program ministry support of your local church.
