Understanding and managing your child’s behaviour
Creating a strong bond with your child is key to helping them feel loved and supported.
As our children grow, they develop new social and emotional skills at different ages. For school-age kids, this is a time when they start feeling proud of their achievements and abilities. They also face new challenges at school, both socially and academically. When they succeed, it boosts their confidence; when they struggle, it can make them feel uncertain or inadequate.
Support your child by:
- Encouraging and praising him or her, focusing on effort over outcome.
- Promoting a sense of competence.
Children who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers or peers may doubt their abilities to succeed. It's important to keep cheering them on and praising their efforts. Your support will help them believe in themselves and feel capable of succeeding.
Read more here where to find out how you can praise, encourage and reward your child. For more information, you can read Parenting for Wellness Module 2: Developing and strengthening your parent-child relationship.
Initiatives at School
Children spend a significant portion of their time at school. To help them develop a strong foundation for a healthy life, schools have initiatives in place promoting healthy behaviours. Understanding these initiatives can provide you with valuable insights into their daily routine and help you better support and complement their healthy habits at home.Let's take a closer look at these initiatives!
Snack and recess times are two key opportunities for your child to practise healthy eating daily. Through the Healthy Meals in School Programme (HMSP), your child has access to healthy food options at school. Here’s how you can help your child make and stick to healthy choices:
Snack time
Pack wholesome snacks for your child to munch on during their 10–15-minute breaks. Whole fruits, baked nuts, or whole-grain crackers are all delicious and nutritious.
Recess time
Encourage your child to choose from the healthier set meals in the school canteen instead of less nutritious snacks during their 30-minute break.
How can I encourage positive behaviour through role modelling?
Learn more at Parenting for Wellness
For more information, read up on Parenting for Wellness module 1: Understanding yourself as a parent.
How can I get my child’s caregiver onboard?
When it comes to nurturing healthy habits in your child, everyone in the family has a part to play, including grandparents and other caregivers.
What can you do when you engage caregivers?
Managing differing opinions
There may be instances when caregivers might have differing opinions in areas such as:
Disciplinary methods
You may prefer more positive reinforcement or time-outs, while caregivers may believe in using more traditional discipline.
Meals/snacks
You might be stricter in limiting unhealthy snacks and drinks, while caregivers might give in easily to your child.
TV/Screen time
You may set stricter limits on screen time, prioritising educational content, while caregivers may allow more screen time to keep your child occupied.
Each of us has different ways of raising a child.
It is important for you to work together with caregivers to manage disagreements as soon as they come
up to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary escalation of issues.
Be calm and speak gently when discussing disagreements with caregivers. Listen to their views.
Here are some tips on how you can approach caregivers when facing disagreements:
Start by acknowledging caregivers’ efforts and love for your child
- By showing appreciation and recognising their contributions, it can help to soften any criticism and demonstrate that you respect and value their role. Start with:
- “I appreciate your efforts and love for…… Thank you for your contribution to our family.”
Communicate your boundaries clearly
- Explain your boundaries clearly, whether it is about discipline, meals or screen time, would help avoid confusion. You can say:
- “I’ve been thinking about how we can work together to support (child’s name) healthy habits”
- “I want to make sure we are on the same page. I usually limit my child’s screen time to one hour per day, and we prefer to let him/her watch educational content. Can you help to manage his/her screen time when we are not around.”
Stay open to their viewpoints and experiences
- Understanding their perspective can help you find common ground and a solution effectively. You can say:
- “I really value your experience and perspective in caring for children. I would love to hear your thoughts if that could help us improve (child’s name) health and development.”
Here are some tips on how you can approach caregivers when facing disagreements:
Start by acknowledging caregivers’ efforts and love for your child
- By showing appreciation and recognising their contributions, it can help to soften any criticism and demonstrate that you respect and value their role. Start with:
- “I appreciate your efforts and love for…… Thank you for your contribution to our family.”
Communicate your boundaries clearly
- Explain your boundaries clearly, whether it is about discipline, meals or screen time, would help avoid confusion. You can say:
- “I’ve been thinking about how we can work together to support (child’s name) healthy habits”
- “I want to make sure we are on the same page. I usually limit my child’s screen time to one hour per day, and we prefer to let him/her watch educational content. Can you help to manage his/her screen time when we are not around.”
Stay open to their viewpoints and experiences
- Understanding their perspective can help you find common ground and a solution effectively. You can say:
- “I really value your experience and perspective in caring for children. I would love to hear your thoughts if that could help us improve (child’s name) health and development.”
What can grandparents do?
If you are a grandparent, you may find more resources and activities for caregivers here.
