Parenting For Three Year Old

Five teachers using a combined 90 years of experience share tips for parents of two - to 5-year-olds. Finding the Best from Your Child I worry that my 3-year-old, Sophie, has a split personality. At college she cleans up her toys, lays her sneakers, and is entirely self indulgent at potty time. At home, she yells whenever I ask her to pick anything up, insists I join her in the bathroom whenever she must go, and recently has begun requiring that I spoon-feed her dinner. Certainly, her teacher knows something I don't. But , what parent hasn't occasionally wondered: Why is my kid better for everybody else than for me? The simple answer: Your kid tests her limits with you because she trusts you'll love her no matter what. But that doesn't mean you can't invest a few strategies from the preschool instructors ' playbook to get the best from the child. We asked educators from all over the country for their hints so listen up and take notes! .

Give structured choices

If, for example, your 3-year-old refuses to sit at the dinner table, you could offer the option of sitting and getting dessert -- or not sitting and passing up a treat. At first, your child may not make the best choice, but he will, because he'll observe that the wrong choice isn't getting him what he desires, says Buss. Just be certain, if you want your kid to choose choice A, that alternative B is not as attractive.

Disciplining Effectively

It struck me lately that I've never met a parent who doesn't use time-outs, and never met a preschool teacher who does. So what discipline strategies do teachers advocate?

Prevent good-bye meltdowns

If your child is nervous about spending time aside, give him something tangible to remind him . Allow him to take your picture; kiss on a tissue or cut out a paper heart and place it in his pocket. Having something physical to touch may help him feel anxious -- and short-circuit a tantrum.

Prioritize play.

Preschool teachers said over and over that kids now are unable to play imaginatively than kids of a decade or two past. A lot of the day is structured in supervised activities, says Haines. The antidote: Get comfy stating Go play. It's 's not your job to understand that your child is amused 24/7. Let her get a little bored. However, be sure she's items like dress-up clothing, paint and paper, a huge cardboard box, and play dough.

Enable them to solve straightforward problems.

If you see that your kid hoping to assemble a toy or get a book from a shelf which she is able to achieve if she stands on her stepstool, pause before racing around to help. Provided they are safe, these moments when you overlook 't rush in, when you give children a minute to solve things for themselves, those are the character-building moments, says Zebooker. It's natural to desire to make everything perfect, but when we dowe cheat kids of the opportunity to experience success.