Whether you are a new parent or if you have multiple children living in your household, understanding child behavior and how it changes and evolves is essential to raising kids of your own. The more you know and understand about child behaviour at any age, the easier it is to handle any potential challenges and obstacles you are likely to face at some point in time with your children.
If you are looking for more information on two-year-old behaviour or are interested in typical five-year-old behaviour, understanding how to spot positive and negative actions is imperative when raising children of either gender at any age, regardless of your location.
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How Child Behaviour Evolves Overtime
Child behaviour at the age of two is quite different than four-year-old behaviour, regardless of the gender of your child him or herself. Because child behaviour changes over time, it is imperative to stay informed of your child’s latest changes, behaviour, actions, and methods of completing everyday tasks, chores, and responsibilities as they continue to grow.
As babies grow into toddlers and toddlers grow into young children, it is essential to note that speaking, communicating, interacting, reacting, and behaving methods are likely to change. As humans evolve quickly, child behaviour does as well, prompting a toddler to quickly form into a child with vast opinions and thoughts on many different subjects and areas of life. Stimulating conversation and discovery are imperative during the learning ages of children, especially as toddlers when first getting adjusted and familiar with the world around them.
Child Behaviour at Different Ages
It is essential to understand that child behaviour changes and evolves at different ages and in different stages of their lives as a first-time parent or a parent of five. Whether you have babies, toddlers, children, or a mix of all of the ages in your home, knowing the different behaviours each child’s age range is likely to exhibit can help to assist you with new parenting skills, techniques, and tactics you plan to implement within your family and household.
A child at the age of 1 or 6 is likely to have different behaviour than three-year-old behaviour. Children at the age of 1 begin to talk and constantly begin crawling and walking at full speed before 2.
2-Year-Old Behaviour
Once children are 2, they are more aware of their surroundings, social skills, and how to better communicate with parents, family members, and even strangers they are not familiar with personally. At the age of 2, children are capable of making the social determination of choosing friends while being selective.
Although children this young are often incapable of displaying why they have made their decisions, it is known that children base their friendship-making decisions based on social surroundings, communication compatibility, and the overall ability to “fit in” with a group or others in any given situation.
3-Year-Old Behaviour and 4-Year-Old Behaviour
Once a child is 3 and 4, they are much more capable of forming complete and coherent sentences with full ideas and subjects. Children between the ages of 3 and 4 are likely to be filled with questions and imagination, especially when exploring new adventures and experiences for the first time. When children are between the ages of 3 and 4, they should have the ability to use the restroom on their while also eating without a hassle or making an extreme mess each time they sit to have a meal.
When children reach the ages of 3 and 4, they are much more capable of themselves, although they may struggle with staying clean and sticking to any set chores or plans you have in place. It is essential to take note of your child’s intellectual and motor skills at this age to ensure they are developing correctly and capable of forming sentences, thoughts, and ideas to you regularly without trouble or difficulty.
5-Year-Old Behaviour
Children between the ages of 5 and 6 are much more well-mannered and capable of taking care of themselves, from preparing small snacks to ensuring their room is clean, and their bed is made each morning. When children reach the age of 5 and 6, they can begin enrolling in traditional school settings, allowing them to attend a classroom throughout each weekday during the school year.
Children at the age of 5 and 6 should have adequate social skills to properly communicate with other students and adults, including teachers, principals, and other authority figures, while away from home and at school during the school year itself.
Recognising Bad Behaviour in Children
Recognising lousy behaviour in children is not always easy, mainly if you have never dealt with negative behavior from your children in the past. Many different types of bad behaviour are imperative to spot and notice any time your children are partaking in the behaviours and harmful actions themselves. Understanding how to go about recognising lousy behaviour in children is a way to get a better handle on the situation to know how to resolve any issue or problem at hand.
Speaking Out
If your child begins to speak out and use negative language and bad words, it’s essential to take note of this behaviour to help put a stop to it as quickly as possible. Determining where your child is learning the language you disapprove of is the first step to fixing and modifying the behaviour in your child altogether. Understanding the root of your child’s actions is always essential regardless of the type of behavioural issue you struggle to overcome in your family and household.
After you have determined where your child is learning the language you disapprove of, it is essential to talk directly to your child about their behaviour and how it is not appropriate. Taking steps to monitor and watch your language and the language of your spouse or any other adult in your home is also essential to ensure your child does not continue to learn behaviour repeatedly that is not approved of by you.
Avoid using foul language when around your children, especially when they are in prime growing stages and still developing. Staying aware of your actions and behaviour is a way to ensure you are not presenting a bad example and influence to your children even as young as the age of 2.
Implementing fair punishments for using bad language and acting out is also necessary to establish your dominance as a parent and ultimately gain more respect from your children as they continue to grow. The more socially aware your child becomes as they age, the easier it is for them to manipulate you and use various tactics against you to avoid punishments. Having the ability to spot these tactics and manipulation techniques is a way to keep your parental control, regardless of your child’s age.
Violent Behavior
When your child begins to display violent and aggressive behaviour, it is also highly advisable to eradicate and fix the root cause of the issue as soon as possible. To help your child with their violent behavior, you must first determine why they are lashing out and acting aggressively towards others and in everyday life at home.
Knowing why your child is becoming violent is the first step to overcoming the outbursts and moving forward peacefully with a positive relationship with one another. Often, Who can trigger violent behaviour due to bullying, emotional responses, or even incidents at home such as fighting, arguing, or even physical violence between adults.
If you are unable to determine the cause of your child’s violent behaviour and if you need additional help, assistance, and guidance, consider working with a professional therapist or counselor to begin moving forward and rebuilding the relationship you have with your child in the home.
Working together with a therapist in one-on-one and group sessions is often recommended for children struggling with overcoming violent behavior, depending on the root cause of the actions. The more your child begins to socialise with others and to recognize their actions, the easier it is for them to begin making the changes necessary to move forward in life without the use of aggression and violent outbursts.
Learning and Educational Issues or Struggles
When you have a child in the home who is struggling with school and has learning difficulties, it is necessary to seek assistance or begin assisting your child yourself if possible while they are young. Suppose you notice your child has difficulty talking, communicating, reading, and learning altogether at a young age. In that case, it is also essential to speak directly with your pediatrician or another care physician who specializes in learning difficulties and challenges in children at any age.
Although the behavior is not harmful, it is essential to have the ability to recognize your child’s inability to learn at an appropriate pace while they are still growing and developing.
Incorporating books and other learning tools and toys into your child’s life at a young age is one way to ensure they are on track with development and capable of keeping up with the standards of development. Spending one-on-one time with each of your children is another method of gauging their development progress and whether or not they require additional assistance with learning new subjects and moving forward with education altogether.
If your child is unable to keep up in school at any grade level, seeking out the assistance of a professional tutor may also be a viable solution to consider. Working with a professional tutor and your child is a way to ensure they can maintain their grade point average without failing or falling behind other classmates.
Tutors are available by privately hiring them, working with local institutions, and even by inquiring at local schools near you about available tutors and tutoring programs currently active and in place.
Social Troubles
Another type of behaviour that is important to note in children is social inability. When your child is incapable of making friends, holding a conversation, or talking to others, it may be time to begin confronting the behaviour and working to improve social skills, regardless of age.
Although your child may be shy and more reserved or introverted, it is essential to develop social skills to help get an education, make friends, and develop their relationships without your help and guidance. Having the ability to socialize at a young age properly is imperative for children regardless of age and gender.
When your child is having trouble socially, it is essential to talk to them directly to inquire about their feelings and thoughts regarding their lack of friends or inability to interact with others regularly. Whenever you talk to your child about any lack in their social development, it is also imperative to avoid condescendingly talking to them, especially when you want your children to be as open and honest with you as possible.
Instead of confronting social issues as a negative trait or behaviour, attempt to relate and talk to your children in a way that is comforting and non-threatening. Learning how to talk to your children openly at any age is a way to maintain a positive relationship with your kids while also knowing what is going on in their lives at different stages of growing up. Reading books and understanding more about body language is a way to gauge your child’s happiness and whether they require more assistance and support from you emotionally and morally when struggling socially.
If you want to help improve your child’s overall social skills and ability to interact with others their age, consider enrolling them in various social-based programs or clubs locally and even online. Local clubs are often available at schools, ranging from crafting and sports clubs to game clubs, movie clubs, and book clubs.
There are also clubs available for children who have suffered from trauma bullying and for those who have difficulty with conversation and making new friends. Researching various clubs and options available near you is a way to expand the number of options you have available when helping to improve your child’s overall social abilities.
Confronting Negative Behaviour
To confront or reverse any negative behaviour, behaviour that is not appropriate or behaviour that causes your child to struggle, it is essential to put a plan to ensure you have a positive relationship before you begin. To change any behavior in children, it is necessary to understand them, why they are acting out, and various resolutions available to help you and your family get back on track.
It is essential to consider the type of behaviour your child is exhibiting before moving forward with any solutions or a solid resolution for the challenges you face. Having a clear understanding of why your child is misbehaving or acting out is one of the first steps in moving forward or getting the help you need to rid the behaviour entirely from your child’s life.
Create a Positive Relationship With Your Child
Creating a positive relationship with your child is imperative before you can begin to move forward with changing behaviour and improving behaviour in your child altogether. When you have a positive relationship with your child, it is much easier to communicate with one another and voice your opinions and direction within the household without arguments and conflict.
Developing a positive relationship with your child starts with getting to know them personally and understanding them intellectually and emotionally. Asking your child about their hobbies, interests, and each of their days is a way to get to know more about your child’s personality, friends, hopes, and even their dreams for the future.
The easier it becomes to relate to your child due to your positive relationship, the more likely they are to reach out to you personally when struggling with any issues or challenges they may face in the future. Taking time to spend with your children on their own is also a way to bond with one another, creating more trust and openness, even when your child becomes a teenager and begins to want a life of their own.
Talk About Inappropriate Behaviour
For your child to understand what they can and cannot do each day, it is essential to talk openly about appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in your household. Confronting and stopping negative behaviour as soon as it occurs is necessary to avoid repeat actions in your children.
The more openly you talk about inappropriate behaviour while also implementing severe consequences to bad behaviour and actions, the less likely your children will partake in the behaviour themselves. Establishing good and bad behaviours at young ages and throughout the entire process of your child developing is a way to ensure they are much more likely to make intelligent and wise decisions on their own in the future, even without your help.
When you can communicate openly in your household, your child is less likely to feel threatened or unable to talk to you about any issues they are facing, including issues or problems they may have brought on themselves. Talking about various types of behaviour and methods of fixing it in regular household conversations can help your child to feel ready to talk to you about any challenges they may have themselves.
Provide Resolutions to Problems At-Hand
Any time you are working together with your child to improve and change their behavior for the better, it is essential to also provide resolutions to any problems they are experiencing. As a parent, providing resources, solutions, and ideas to help your child is a way to view you as someone they can count on and trust when faced with complex challenges and obstacles in life. Offering different resources and helping to guide your child through any difficult times and behavior issues is imperative if you want to build and keep a strong relationship for years to come.
Whether you help your child confront any issue, they are facing head-on or if you help by approaching school principals due to bullying, offering solutions and resolutions is a way for you to connect with your child while also helping them feel more confident when overcoming obstacles in life. The more support you can show your child as they are growing and developing emotionally, intellectually, and socially, the more likely they are to come to you in the future if they are ever faced with a problem or challenge they are unable to take on their own.
Regardless of whether you provide social solutions or if you want to find counseling and therapy for your child, letting them know you are there for them at all times is a way to ensure your relationship remains intact regardless of the obstacles you are facing. Having a positive relationship and providing emotional support in your child’s life is a way to keep them from distancing themselves in the future.
Working With Professionals
It may seem overwhelming and nearly impossible to help fix and repair your child’s behaviour, whether they are lashing out with words, violence, or even withdrawing socially. When you have used as many resources as you have available and feel out of ideas on how to help your child, it may be time to consider working together with professionals to find solutions and an overall resolution for your entire family.
When you work together with a professional therapist or counselor, it is possible to talk openly about family issues, relationship strains, work struggles, and any other issues contributing to or causing your child’s behavourial issues. The more open you are about any issues that you may be struggling to overcome, the easier it is for a therapist or another family professional to put a plan in place to help repair your child’s behaviour and the relationships everyone in your household has with one another daily.
Working with professionals can be done by reviewing local and online resources to find a professional specializing in children’s behaviour and helping to fix it by working with families. Whether you choose to work with a therapist or if you want to work with a counselor for your child independently, there are many options and solutions when choosing to go the therapy route with fixing and improving your child’s behaviour in everyday life.
Family Therapy and Individual Counseling Sessions
Attending family therapy sessions and planning individual counseling meetings for your child and their therapist is also highly advisable when working to improve behaviour and the relationships each family member has with one another in your home. Joining in on family therapy sessions is a way for your child to feel less alone while also having a resource available to help share any discrepancies they may be having with you, your spouse, a sibling, or another member of the household.
Family therapy sessions are highly recommended if there is the strain among more than one of the children in the home at one time simultaneously. It is also highly recommended to look into family therapy if you are struggling with your spouse personally and if it has negatively impacted or affected the children in your household.
When you want to begin looking into family therapy and counseling sessions for your household and your child on their own, you can do so with local business listings and directories and ask around for referrals from family members and friends you trust. Additionally, finding more information about therapy services and counseling near you is also available by searching online.
Browsing online is a way to compare therapists, read reviews, and find a location of service that is right for you and your family based on any issues you are facing and the type of behaviour problems you are trying to overcome with your children.
Working to Improve Child Behaviour at Any Age
Working to improve child behaviour at any age can be done by reading books, researching specific topics, talking to your doctor, joining online communities, and even working directly with a local therapist or counselor specializing in child behaviour and corrections. Working together with a professional is ideal if you do not have experience handling the behaviour your child is exhibiting or have tried multiple resources to help with your child’s behaviour to no avail.
Taking the time to learn more about child behaviour and how it can impact and affect your family and your life altogether is a way to become a better parent and more insightful of children and their actions altogether. Studying the psychology of children and learning traditional human behavioral patterns is another way to gain additional knowledge into your children, their behaviour, and their daily actions and personality.
