Five teachers with a combined 90 years of experience share tips for parents of 2- to 5-year-olds. Getting the Best Out of Your Child I worry that my 3-year-old, Sophie, has a split personality. At school she cleans up her toys, lays her shoes, and is entirely self indulgent at potty time. In the home, she yells whenever I ask her to pick up anything, insists that I join in the bathroom whenever she must go, and lately has begun requiring that I spoon-feed her dinner. Clearly, her teacher knows something I don't. But then, what parent hasn't sometimes wondered: Why is my kid better for everybody else than for me personally? The simple answer: Your child tests her limits with you because she trusts you'll love her no matter what. But that doesn't mean you can't borrow a few strategies from the preschool instructors ' playbook to get the best from your child. We requested educators from around the nation for their tips so listen up -- and take notes! .
Assign a chore.
Placing your preschooler in control of a routine, simple task will build her confidence and sense of competency, says Buss. A child who's entrusted to water the plants or vacant the clothes dryer is likely to think she could additionally get dressed herself or pour her own cereal. Just be sure the chore you delegate is manageable and that it's real work, not busywork, because even preschoolers understand the difference. The target is to make your kid feel like a competent, contributing member of the household.
Don't redo what they've done.
If your child makes her bed, resist the urge to smooth the blankets. If she dresses herself stripes and polka dots, compliment her eclectic style. Unless absolutely necessary, don't mend what your child accomplishes,'' states Kathy Buss, director of the Weekday Nursery School, at Morrisville, Pennsylvania. She'll notice and it could discourage her
Involve her in righting her wrongs
If you find her coloring on the walls, have her help wash it off. If she yells over a playmate's block tower, then ask her to help rebuild it.
Lighten up
If your child refuses to do something, try turning it to a match. Humor and matches are just two great tools that parents forget about from the heat of the moment, states Zebooker. When her son, now 13, was in preschool, she used to convince him to put his shoes in the morning by playing with shoe shop. I'd say, 'Welcome to Miss Mommy's Shoe Store, I've got the perfect pair that you test on now,' and I'd talk in a silly accent and he adored it. (that I 've had luck with this strategy with Sophie, who used to clamp her mouth shut whenever I attempted to brush her teeth. We play with the Permit 's Guess What You Ate Today match -- and she voluntarily opens so I can search her molars for cereal, strawberries, or mac and cheese.)
Expect more.
Most people have a means of living up (or down) to expectations -- preschoolers included. At college we expect the kids to pour their own water , to throw away their plates, to hang up their jackets -- and they do, states Jennifer Zebooker, a teacher at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School, in New York City. But they then 'll walk from the classroom and the thumb moves in the mouth and they climb into scooters. Lift the bar and your little one will probably stretch to meet it.
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