Preschool Guidance and Discipline

NAEYC (Honig, 2000) and others (Marion, 2002) include other guidelines for effective and appropriate guidance:

• Provide a safe and stimulating environment.
• Establish reasonable and realistic expectations for acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, which have been clearly defined.
• Be clear and consistent about the consequences for inappropriate behavior.
• Teach and emphasize appropriate behavior rather than “what not to do.”
• Model appropriate behaviors and good communication skills.
• Have caregivers who express affection, interest, pleasure, reassurance, and faith in children.
• Offer limited choices to allow children a sense of control.
• Respect children’s feelings and use positive discipline techniques.

Corporal Punishment--using physical force to inflict pain, but not injury, to change a person’s behavior. Although it has been banned in 23 countries, more than 90% of American parents report physically punishing their preschoolers (Straus & Steward, 1999). Despite its frequency, research has found that harsh punishment is both ineffective and has negative outcomes for children’s mental health. For these reasons, organizations such as the AAP, the APA, and UNESCO all oppose corporal punishment.

• Corporal punishment does not result in any lasting behavioral changes, only in immediate obedience (Gershoff, 2002).
• The more a child is physically punished, the more likely he or she is to have permanent negative social-emotional consequences. These include increased aggression, anxiety, depression, antisocial conduct, poor academic performance, impaired parent-child relationships, substance abuse, alcoholism, and/or adult abusive behavior (Cohen, 1996; Brezina, 1999; Straus, 2001).
• Common corporal punishments are spanking, slapping, pinching, shaking, washing the mouth with soap, and hitting with an object (such as a paddle, belt, etc.).
• The intensity of punishment must be increased for physical punishment to continue to be effective. Corporal punishment is closely associated with physical abuse (Gershoff, 2002).
• Time-out, when a misbehaving child is removed from the setting, is the most commonly used alternative to physical punishment. While it is a form of punishment, it does not have the negative psychological side effects of corporal approaches.

Inductive Discipline--a specific guidance technique where adults show children the effects their actions have on other children. Research shows that when this approach is used children are more likely to develop empathy, act prosocially, and correct misbehavior (Zahn-Waxler, Radhe-Yarrow, & King, 1979). It helps young children understand the consequences of their behavior and the reason for not harming others. For example, an adult could say to an aggressive toddler, “She doesn’t like to be pushed--look at her face; she’s crying because she’s sad and angry.” Children as young as two can understand induction.