4 tips to teaching your kids the perfect park behavior!
Now that spring is here and the sun is finally starting to come out, you probably want your kids to spend as much time outdoors as possible. But if your children are young, taking them to a local park or playground could also come with the fear that they'll get too hyper and start acting out. So how do you get your kids to properly conduct themselves in public? Below, a few tips for guiding your kids to the perfect park behavior:
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- Lay out some ground rules before you go. Prior to taking your child out, make sure you let them know what your expectations are. Let them know that you want them to have fun, but that there will be consequences (whether that's making them leave the park or something else) if they behavior poorly.
- Remind them of the importance of sharing. Chances are that your child will meet some other kids at the playground and want to play with them, which is great…until your kid gets possessive over a certain toy or slide and starts screaming at the others or worse. Make sure they understand that there will likely be a lot of other kids at the park so to not get upset if someone gets to go on the monkey bars before them.
- Speaking of taking turns, also encourage your children to say "please" and "thank you." Kids aren't always great at waiting for their turn. Teach them to approach other children or parents in the playground politely, by asking if they could please go on the slide and then thanking them. The more often you get them to say it, the more accustomed to it they'll become and the more likely they'll start using those same manners everywhere else!
- Let them know that you appreciate their good behavior. On the way home or sometime after leaving, praise your child for listening to you and let them know that there will be more fun park visits in the future. It will motivate them to keep it up!
Image via Community Spaces Fund/flickr