Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Develop a Healthy Routine
• Method 2 of 4: Love Your Children
• Method 3 of 4: Discipline Your Child
• Method 4 of 4: Build Character
• Tips

No one disputes that nurturing a strong personality takes time and effort. It is possible to raise children hoping that it will happen by itself, but being good parents is much more difficult. If you want to know how to raise a child, follow our tips.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Develop a Healthy Routine

1. 1 Put parenting first. It is not easy to do this in our world with a huge number of requirements. Good parents consciously plan and devote time to their parenting responsibilities, and their top priority is child development. You must learn to prioritize your children before your own and devote more time to your children than you do to yourself. However, don't neglect yourself completely.
   • If you have a spouse, you can take turns looking after the child in order to have some time "for yourself."
   • When you plan your weekly routine, you should initially focus on your child's needs.
2. 2 Read to your child every day. By helping to cultivate a love of the written word, you will help your child to love reading later. Set a time for your child to read each day - before bedtime or in the afternoon. Read to your child for about half an hour to an hour every day, or even more. Your child will not only love reading but will also increase their chances of academic and behavioral success. Research shows that children who are read every day perform better at school.
   • When your child learns to read and write, allow him to start reading himself. Do not correct his mistakes every 2 seconds, otherwise you will discourage the child from reading.
3. 3 Dine as a family. One of the most dangerous tendencies in the modern family is the lack of a tradition of family dinners. The dining table is not only a place to eat, but also a place to learn and convey your values. Manners and rules are easy to follow at the table. Family dinners help convey and support ideals that children will carry throughout their lives.
   • If your child is fussy about food, do not spend dinner criticizing the child's eating habits and controlling what he eats. This will lead your child to have negative associations with family dinners.
   • Involve your child in preparing for dinner. Dinner will be much more fun if your child helps you choose food in the store, set the table, or wash vegetables before cooking.
   • Reduce the discussion of serious topics during dinner. Don't give your child a secondary place in the conversation. Start with, "How was your day?"
4. 4 Set a clear time to sleep at night. While your child does not need to go to bed exactly one minute every night, you do need to establish a strict bedtime schedule that your child must follow. Research shows that children's ability to perceive information drops by several points, even after one missed hour of sleep, so it is important that children have enough rest before school.
   • Your child's schedule should include getting ready for bed: turning off the TV, music or any electronics, and soothing conversation or reading with the child while in bed.
   • Do not give your child sweets just before bedtime - it will be more difficult for him to fall asleep.
5. 5 Constantly inspire your child to develop their abilities. You don't need to enroll your child in 10 different clubs, but you need to find at least one or two activities that your child likes to do and schedule them. It can be anything: soccer, art studio, or singing. The main thing is that your child has the ability, desire and love for such an occupation. Share with your child what wonderful work he is doing to inspire him to keep doing what he is doing.
   • In various circles, the child will learn to communicate with other children.
   • Don't be lazy. If your child complains that he doesn't want to take piano lessons, but you know that he loves them, don't quit just because you don't feel like taking your child to lessons.
6. 6 Give your child enough time to play each day. Playtime doesn't mean your child has to sit in front of the TV or chew on a cube while you wash the dishes. Vice versa. This means letting your child sit in their room or play area and actively play with educational toys, and you will help him with this. You may be tired, but it is very important to show your child the benefits of playing with your toys, as well as teach him how to play with toys on his own.
   • You don't need to buy a lot of toys. The question is not the quantity, but the quality of the toys. And it may turn out that your child's favorite toy is a piece of paper.

Method 2 of 4: Love Your Children

1. 1 Learn to hear your children. Influencing their lives is the main thing you can do. It's so easy to adjust to the kids and miss out on the opportunity to constructively guide them. If you never hear your children and spend all your time giving them orders, you will not receive respect and care from them.
   • Encourage children to talk. Help them express themselves from an early age and you will help them communicate successfully in the future.
2. 2 Treat children with respect. Never forget that your child is a living being, with his own needs and desires, like the rest of us. If your child is picky about food, do not scold him at the dinner table. If he is slow to master the science of using peas, do not embarrass him by talking about it publicly. If you promised your child to take him to the movies for good behavior, do not take back your promises just because you are too tired.
   • If you respect your child, chances are your child will respect you in return.
3. 3 Know not to love your child too much. Surely, you have heard more than once that if you love a child too much, praise him a lot or pay too much attention to him, then he will grow up spoiled. Remember, this is a myth. By giving your child love, being attentive and caring, you contribute to their development. When you buy off your parenting responsibilities with toys, this is what can ruin your child.
   • Talk to your child about how much you love him at least once a day, but it's best to talk about it whenever you can.
4. 4 Participate in your child's daily life. It takes strength and effort to be with your child every day, but if you want your child to develop their interests and character, you must support him in everything. This does not mean that you have to follow your child every second, but it does mean that you have to be with him during all these important "little moments" for him, from his first game of football to family outings in nature.
   • When your child starts school, you need to know what lessons they have and the names of their teachers. Do your homework with him and help him with difficult tasks, but do not do them for the child.
   • As your child gets older, start encouraging them to explore their interests on their own.
5. 5 Encourage independence. You can be there, inspiring him to explore his interests. Do not tell him which club to enroll in, offer him several options and let him choose. When buying clothes for your child, do it with him so that he can express his opinion. And if your child wants to play with friends or with his toys without your presence, let him do it.
   • By encouraging a child to be independent from an early age, they will consider themselves an adult when they get older.

Method 3 of 4: Discipline Your Child

1. 1 Know that children need to be limited in some things. From time to time, they will ignore these restrictions. You need to punish wisely. Children need to understand why they are being punished and know that parental love is the source of punishment.
   • It is possible to correct the unwanted behavior of the child with the help of cognitive methods. Don't confuse the child when you punish him. For example, instead of saying, "If you go out on a bike, you will walk with a book on your head all day," say, "If you go out on the road, you will lose your bike until the end of the day." Link punishment with deprivation of privilege. In this case, riding a bike is a privilege.
   • Avoid whipping or spanking. Children who are beaten are less likely to listen to you, and research shows they are more likely to fight other children and be more aggressive in some way when dealing with conflict situations. In addition, children who have experienced domestic violence are more likely to develop PTSD.
2. 2 Reward children for good behavior. Rewarding a child for good behavior is even more important than punishing bad behavior. When you let your child know that he is doing something right, you are encouraging him to behave well in the future. If the child is behaving well (for example, sharing his toys or behaving well during a long car ride), let him know that you have noticed it. Do not be silent when the child is behaving well, and punish when it is bad.
   • Don't underestimate the importance of praising good behavior. The words, "I am so proud of you for ..." make the child feel that their good behavior is truly appreciated.
   • You can buy a toy or candy for your child from time to time, but do not let your child know that he deserves this gift with his good behavior.
3. 3 Be consistent. If you want your child to be disciplined, you must be consistent. You cannot punish a child for an act once and give candy so that he stops doing it another time, because you are too tired to start arguing. If your child does something good, such as going to the potty during potty training, be sure to praise the child. Do this every time. Consistency enhances both good and bad behavior.
   • If you and your husband / wife are raising a child together, you must act as a united front and use the same disciplinary methods. You don't have to have a "good cop and a bad cop" in your house.
4. 4 Explain your rules. If you really want your child to accept your disciplinary practices, then you need to explain to your child why he or she cannot do certain things. Don't just tell him, “Don't be greedy” or “Take the toys away!”, But explain why it is good for him, for you and for society as a whole. By showing the connection between a child's actions and their meaning, we help the child understand the decision-making process.
5. 5 Teach your child to take responsibility for their actions. This is an important part of disciplining your child and developing a strong character. If he does something wrong, make sure that the child openly admits his behavior and explains why he did it, instead of blaming someone else or even denying what he did. After the child has done a bad thing, discuss with him why it happened.
   • It is important for a child to know that everyone makes mistakes. The mistake is not as important as your child's reaction to it.

Method 4 of 4: Build Character

1. 1 Don't limit parenting to words alone. We acquire knowledge through practice. Parents must show an example of self-discipline. The most important thing in the development of a child's character is the behavior of the parents. You should always teach your child to be kind to others.
2. 2 Be a good example. Admit it: People learn mostly by example. In fact, in any case, you will be an example to your child, an example good or bad. Being a good example is perhaps the most important job. If you yell at a child and then teach him not to yell, make angry remarks about your neighbors and be rude to cashiers, your child will think that this behavior is correct.
   • Be an example to your child right from birth. Your child will feel your mood and understand your behavior from a very early age.
3. 3 Watch what your children are absorbing. Children, they are like sponges. Much of what they absorb affects their moral qualities and character: books, songs, television, the Internet, films constantly convey to your child what is right and what is not. It is up to the parents to control the flow of ideas and pictures that affect the child.
   • If you and your child see something sad, such as two people swearing in the store or news of abuse, do not miss the opportunity to talk to your child about it.
4. 4 Teach your child good manners. Teaching him to say "thank you" and "please" and to treat others with respect will help him succeed in the future. Don't underestimate the importance of teaching your child to be friendly to adults, respect elders, avoid fights, and not tease other children. Good manners will be with your children for the rest of their lives, and you should start instilling them as early as possible.
   • An important part of good manners is to clean up after yourself. Teach your child to clean up after themselves toys today, and he will be a great housekeeper when he becomes an adult.
5. 5 Speak only the words that you want your children to say. If you feel the urge to swear, complain, or speak negatively about someone you know, remember that children always pay attention to these things. And if you have a heated argument with your husband, then it is better to do it behind a closed door so that the children do not follow your example in the future.
   • If you do say a bad word and the child notices it, don't pretend it didn't happen. Apologize and say you won't say that again. Otherwise, your child will think that this is a normal word.
6. 6 Teach your child to show empathy for others. Empathy is an important skill and should never be taught too early. If your child knows how to empathize with others, then he will be able to see the world without prejudice and put himself in the shoes of the other person. Let's imagine your child comes home and talks about a greedy classmate.Try to talk to him about what happened and understand how this boy felt and what led to this behavior. Let's say a waitress forgot about your order at a restaurant. Don't tell your child that she is lazy; instead, note how tired she is after being on her feet all day.
7. 7 Teach your child to be grateful. Teaching a child to be grateful is not as easy as saying “thank you” to everyone. To properly teach your children about gratitude, you must say “thank you” all the time. If your child complains that everyone at school has a new toy that you don't buy him, remind him how many people are in much worse conditions than your child.
   • Introduce your child to the life of all walks of life and explain how lucky he is, even if the child does not receive an iPhone for New Year.
   • Instead of saying “I didn't hear you say thank you” when the child doesn't thank someone, say “thank you” yourself and he will follow your example.

Tips

• Meet the parents of your child's friends. Perhaps you will even become close friends with them, or at least you will learn more about them and their child.
• Read parenting books with some skepticism. Today's innovations in parenting could be tomorrow's headlines on parenting mistakes.