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Jake Lyons

Mrs. Cramer

English Comp I Period. 8

5 Oct. 2018

Teaching Children Appropriate Behavior

Teaching children appropriate behavior from a young age is essential for them to become

well-rounded, successful individuals in the future. Making sure they know the correct way to act,

versus the incorrect way to act, is important for the sake of others around the child, and for the

child them self. Three ways children can be taught appropriate behavior and how to act are by

being spoken to kindly, being rewarded, and being disciplined.

The first effective way of teaching a child how to act appropriately is by speaking nicely

to the child and being kind. Parents, guardians, and teachers should always keep calm and try not

to become frustrated with children. If a child is acting up and presenting bad behavior, a parent

or guardian should remain calm and explain nicely to the child that he or she needs to stop. If the

child is spoken to nicely, he or she will understand that kindness is what should be presented,

even in hard situations (Aftunion). Children look up to adults, literally and figuratively. If

someone is a child’s role model, their attitude will rub off on them. This can be a positive thing,

but it could also have a negative impact on the child’s personality. So, if children are spoken to

kindly and nicely, they will realize that if they want to receive respect, they need to give it.

Children need to be taught, and that is what a parent, guardian, or teacher is for. Their attitude

will rub off on the child, creating a “clone” of the role model, especially if it is a parent that the

child lives with (Aftunion). If a child is spoken to and treated nicely, it will help the child
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understand that in the real world, if they want somebody to treat them kindly, be nice to them,

and provide support to them when they are in need, they must have a positive attitude and be

kind and compassionate towards the other person. Plus, if a child is spoken to nicely, they're

more likely to listen and care than if someone talks to them in a rude, mean tone. They won't

understand why the adult is speaking to them like that, and they will just end up becoming upset

and frustrated with the role model and other people, which could eventually cause a scene and

become a nuisance.

The second way that children can be taught appropriate behavior is by being rewarded for

their positive behavior or attitude, as well as for their good and kind actions. An example of this

could be giving a child a piece of candy when they have finished doing their homework, or when

they have had a good attitude for the day. This will cause them to want to have a good behavior

more often, because they know they will be rewarded. This method is typically used on small

children because older children can understand that not every good action deserves a reward.

However, this method can be effective if used appropriately, and eventually, the rewards can go

away. Now, the child will begin to have a good behavior more frequently. Another example of

how rewarding children can help them learn appropriate behavior is by telling them that they will

be rewarded ahead of time, causing them to have a good attitude because they are looking

forward to being rewarded (Moore etal). If a parent, guardian, or teacher gives something for a

child to look forward to, they will want to obtain the reward. This will teach the child that in

order to receive something, kindness needs to be a factor in the way that they treat people and

others around them.

The final way children can be taught appropriate behavior is by being disciplined when

inappropriate behavior is presented. For example, if a young child is presenting bad behavior,
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perhaps during class in school, their teacher could make them sit during recess or send a note

home. This would make the child understand that the way they were behaving was inappropriate.

Being disciplined makes children realize that if they are behaving poorly, there will be

consequences. Another example would be if a child was acting inappropriately, a parent,

guardian, or teacher could take away the reward that was promised to them. The child would

most likely be upset, angry, and annoyed that their reward was taken away, but eventually the

parent, guardian, or teacher could sit down and explain to the child why the privilege was taken

away. This would make the child not want to act out, or behave inappropriately again, knowing

that they would be punished. This concept will teach children that their actions will always

receive consequences, regardless of whether their actions are good or bad.

In conclusion, children can be taught appropriate behavior by being spoken to kindly,

being rewarded, and by being disciplined. Every child is different based on how they were taught

at home, how they were taught in schools, and what kind of lifestyle/background they come

from. There isn't necessarily a “correct” way to parent/ teach a child, but it is important that the

child doesn’t go out in the community acting foolish, because the older a person gets, the more

responsible they must be. If someone chooses to not be responsible with their life and with other

peoples’ lives, the consequences start to become more and more severe. Without teaching

children what is okay to say and do and what is not okay to say and do, they would just act the

way they want. Children should be taught what is appropriate behavior and what isn't from a

young age. If they are taught from a young age, they will act more professional and mature

during their teenage years as well as their young adult years when they are venturing out on their

own for the first time. Teaching them appropriate behavior sets them up for success in the future

when they are expected to communicate and be around other people in the community.
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Works Cited

Aftunion. “Good Behavior Needs to Be Taught.” American Federation of Teachers, 3 Nov. 2014,

www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/winter-2003-2004/good-behavior-needs-be-

taught.

Baumrind, Diana. “Effects of Authoritative Parental Control on Child Behavior.” Child

Development, vol. 37, no. 4, 1966, pp. 887–907. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/1126611.

Doyne, Shannon. “How, and by Whom, Should Children Be Taught Appropriate Behavior?” The

New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2012,

learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/how-and-by-whom-should-children-be-taught-

appropriate-behavior/.

Mendez, Linda M. Raffaele, and Howard M. Knoff. “Who Gets Suspended from School and

Why: A Demographic Analysis of Schools and Disciplinary Infractions in a Large School

District.” Education and Treatment of Children, vol. 26, no. 1, 2003, pp. 30–51. JSTOR,

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42900535.
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Tara C. Moore Partin, Rachel E. Robertson, Daniel M. Maggin, Regina M. Oliver & Joseph H.

Wehby (2009)Using Teacher Praise and Opportunities to Respond to Promote

Appropriate

Student Behavior, Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and

Youth, 54:3, 172-178, DOI: 10.1080/10459880903493179

“Teaching Appropriate Behavior.” Project IDEAL, www.projectidealonline.org/v/teaching-

appropriate-behavior/.