Tips from Teachers: How to Improve Your Parenting Skills

Children are concrete, experiential learners. They learn more from what they see and experience than from what we tell them. You are the ultimate role model, and your child watches and learns from you daily. Slowing down to demonstrate a skill in a specific and methodical way can make a world of difference in how your child learns. For example, telling your child to put his toys away repeatedly can be an exercise in frustration. Taking the time to specifically model how one puts toys away in a step-by-step fashion shows your child what you expect and how the final result should look.

Don't expect that your child will complete new tasks correctly right away. Learning a skill or concept takes time and practice. Each time your child practices these tasks, reinforce what he or she has learned by offering praise for remembering some of the steps. If your child forgets a step or two, take the time to review your previous demonstration and hope for the best next time around.