Techniques

There are several techniques to guide children's behavior. It is crucial to take them into account in order to dare to influence their personality in an enriching way.

Different methods can be used such as: token economy, behavioral traffic light, sandwich technique, among others.

It would be ideal to combine and complement all the techniques without creating an addiction in their use. Our goal is to encourage a healthy habit: to behave well.

Balancing.

The sandwich technique resembles the same sandwich in which the slices of bread represent the positive elements and the filling the negative elements. We say:

• Thank you for all those days when you organized your toys. Even if you didn't do it today, the attitude you showed is good.

In this example, mention was made of the negative aspect: "even though you didn't do it today", but in a way that was not taken defensively.

Id.

The behavioral traffic light is a visual technique for identifying positive and negative. It will be used:

• Pens.

• A clothespin.

• Red, yellow and green colored paper.

Each color represents a different emotion, red is sadness, yellow is indecision and green is happiness. The clamp will oscillate according to the child's behavior. This technique has a margin of effectiveness up to five years of age.

Reinforce.

Token economy is a technique that encourages the emergence of new behaviors through tokens redeemable for good deeds. For example, for a child to stop saying bad words, the new action is shown: a correct use of vocabulary.

They are given four or five tokens, with images of something that fascinates them, and it is explained to them that they will lose them if they say bad words. Thus, the probability of getting what was agreed upon will decrease if they lose all the tokens.

Let's imagine that the child is interested in ice cream, visiting the aquarium and the zoo. We can tell him: 'I will give you cards as a reward every time you do what I ask you to do. For example, if you express yourself without using foul language, you can get what you want'.

The value of the tokens will be stipulated by ourselves:

• Price of the ice cream: 5 cards.

• Price of the aquarium: 10 cards.

• Price of the zoo: 20 cards.

Modify.

If the goal is to eliminate a behavior, we will approach the technique as a game rather than a strict rule. If your child does not feel comfortable in performing it, you can make use of other alternatives.

For behavior modification, the reverse token economy theory is often effective. This method is based on immediate consequences. That is, the child can quickly realize what he is doing wrong and correct it.

Before using the technique, it will be explained that everything in life is controlled by rules. For example, if a pedestrian runs a green light, he is in danger of being run over. Every act has a consequence, sometimes negative and unfortunate.

This principle applies in everyday life. When an es