Guiding Behavior in Young Children: Expert Approaches for Caregivers & Parents

This program offers strategies for coping with misbehaving toddlers, first through understanding and meeting their basic needs, and then by being prepared to address behaviors before they occur (in ways that youngsters can understand). Voiceover narration accompanies scenes of children and parents in various settings (focusing primarily on a little girl at home with her father), interspersed with comments from experts in early childhood education. Viewers learn that preschoolers are less likely to act up if they have sufficient “attention, affection, affirmation, and acceptance,” but will misbehave sometimes, particularly if those core needs are not met, or while naturally exploring their impact on the world around them, or because they're simply hungry or tired. Guiding Behavior in Young Children teaches parents some key aspects of child development—noting that tots with limited vocabularies cannot necessarily express frustration in words—while also addressing the need for kids to have safe means of practicing independence. Tips for dealing with misbehavior include redirecting attention, removal from the situation (or briefly limiting access to an activity or a treat), and making sure the connection is understood (“If you feed your ice cream to the cat, you no longer have ice cream for yourself”). Parents who feel overwhelmed or find themselves behaving badly—yelling, threatening, spanking—are encouraged to seek help. Onscreen text adds helpful information about creating a plan, including enforcing age-appropriate rules and limits (sometimes repeatedly), and maintaining a focus on safety. A sensible and informative guide, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)