Positive reinforcementYou can reinf

Positive reinforcement

You can reinforce positive behavior by:

Praising good behavior: Stop and praise your host child whenever you can. For example, if you notice a child picking up his or her toys. Even when it seems like small praise, you remind the child how you expect him to behave and you do this in a positive way. Praise the behavior, not the child. Be specific in what the child did well so the child will see that the praise is sincere. “You did a good job cleaning your room.” “That’s a good decision.” “Great job! You played so nicely with your little sister.” This attention helps you to bond with your host child.

Rewarding good behavior: There are different ways to reward a child for good behavior. Children might earn an extra privilege, for example spending extra quality time with their parents and doing something fun together. Behavior charts are also very popular, especially at schools. The teacher might award a sticker if the child has done something well.

Be careful, rewarding good behavior can be overused. If you always reward a child for good behavior, the child might learn how to manipulate. That means they might do the right thing for the wrong reason. Rewarding good behavior should not be used as a bribe. Even though a bribe can be a quick fix to misbehavior, it doesn’t teach a child responsibility and respect. Instead, the child just learns how to get treats. For example, if your host child is having a temper tantrum in the grocery store and you say “If you are good now, I will buy you an ice cream after”. This becomes manipulation to get your host child to cooperate, and he has just learned that you might offer ice cream if he acts up.