If you made it past the terrible twos and think it’s all plain sailing from here, this story is going to sting. Preschoolers present a whole new gamut of challenges! ODETTE UMALI from Gordon Parenting works to help parents navigate this tough time through Parenting Effectiveness Training (PET).
“Around the three-to-five-year-old bracket, kids start to develop the ability to control and experience different emotions; they are starting to enjoy socialisation and playing with others,” says Odette. These developmental milestones bring common problems.
#Defiance
“Preschoolers start to like to be independent, which can result in power struggles with parents. Try getting kids involved in setting rules on things like bed time and screen time, and saying goodbye at the start of the school day. This will help to avoid conflicts.”
#Whining and/or hitting
“Children usually express these behaviours when they can’t manage emotions like anger, sadness and disappointment, or even when they can’t control a situation. In PET, we teach parents to practice basic and active listening to bring down the child’s emotional ‘temperature’.”
#Lying
“At this stage, preschoolers don’t understand that lying is inappropriate. They consider it wishful thinking! Effective confrontation, role modelling and creative storytelling can illustrate the negative effects of lying.”
See more in our Kids section
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This article first appeared in the June/July 2019 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
