While a smiling child can make your day, child antics can give you a headache. As a toddler or preschooler, your child may lack the self-control to express anger peacefully and may naturally lash out, perhaps hitting or biting in frustration. So, what to do when you encounter such a situation? Today, Medhaam nursery and daycare is here with a guide on controlling your kid’s aggressive behavior.

• Step above threats.
  Threats are overrated. It is always more effective to positively reinforce desired behaviors and to teach children alternative behaviors rather than just say, "Stop it or else." Tell them that the next time they are angry, they should use their words instead.

• Set the rules.
  Children don't know the rules of the house until they're taught them, so that is one of your important parenting responsibilities. Toddlers are normally interested in touching and exploring, so if there are valuables you don't want them to handle, hide or remove them. Consider setting up a separate portion of your home where your child can play with books and toys. Whenever children break an important rule, they should be reprimanded immediately to understand exactly what they have done wrong.

• Draw a line of distinction between discipline and punishment.
  While many parents think that discipline and punishment are the same things, they are not. Discipline is a way of teaching and a way of enhancing a good parent-child relationship. When you discipline, you should provide your child with praise along with instruction in a firm tone, with the intent of improving his or her behavior. Punishment is negative, in which you're dispensing an unpleasant consequence when your child does or doesn't do something. Punishment is a part of discipline, but only a small part.

• Integrate healthy distractions in the system.
  While teaching your child other ways to respond, there's also nothing wrong with distracting him at times or trying another approach. As long as you're not "bribing" him to behave differently by offering sweet snacks. For example, there's nothing wrong with intentionally changing his focus.

• A word of caution and appreciation goes a long way.
  Instead of fighting, teach your child to say "no" in a firm tone of voice, to turn his back, or to find compromises instead of fighting with his body. 
  This is what we do at Medhaam preschool daycare - we praise the child for appropriate behavior and help explain how "grown-up" she is acting whenever she uses these tactics instead of hitting, kicking, or biting. And always reinforce and praise behavior when you catch your child being kind and gentle.

• Watch out for your own temper and willpower.
  Always watch your own behavior around your child. One of the best ways to teach him appropriate behavior is to control your own temper. If you express your anger in quiet, peaceful ways, your child probably will fall in your footsteps.
  
  Also, if you must discipline your child, do not feel guilty about it, and certainly don't apologize. If your child senses your mixed feelings, he will convince himself that he was in the right all along and you are the "bad" one. Although disciplining your child is never pleasant, it is a necessary part of parenthood, and there is no reason to feel guilty about it. Your child needs to understand when he is in the wrong, it is important to take responsibility for his actions and be willing to accept the consequences.

• Don’t hesitate to ask for the assistance of a counselor. 
  If your child seems to be unusually aggressive for longer than a few weeks, and you cannot cope with his behavior on your own neither can the daycare preschool, consult a counselor. Other warning signs include self-harm, attacking other people, frequent outbursts, etc. Sometimes children with conduct disorders will go for several days or a week or two without incident and may even act quite charming during this time, but few can go an entire month without getting into trouble at least once.
  
  Wish to enroll your child in a good playschool where teachers can handle his aggressive behavior well? Reach out to Medhaam kindergarten and daycare now at https://www.medhaam.com/.