Preschoolers between ages 6-7 experience significant development but also challenging behaviors. Typical behaviors include improved attention spans, seeking reassurance, showing off skills, enjoying sharing but also conflicts, recognizing emotions and testing limits. Effective discipline strategies include providing routine and structure, ignoring mild misbehavior, praising positive behaviors, using time outs, rewards for good behavior, modeling appropriate behaviors, logical and natural consequences. Acceptable ways to deal with problems are verbal and non-verbal reinforcement of good behavior, private conferences, and allowing expression of feelings. Unacceptable methods include harsh words, nagging, detention, denying privileges, ridicule and affecting grades for behavior.

1. Christian S. Gle
BEEd 3rd – A
Prof. Remedios T. Estrera
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the discussion the student will be able to:
Describe the typical behavior of preschoolers
Enumerate some of the best discipline strategies for preschool inside the
classroom
Illustrate some of the common ways of establishing discipline and classroom
control
LESSON CONTENT:
The year between ages 6 and 7 can be a tumultuous yet exciting time for many children.
A lot of gains are made during this year and as far as behavior and discipline are concerned, it
can sometimes feel like a wild ride for parents. However, 6 can be a great age where children
make huge gains in their emotional, education, motor, and social development and it is a great
time to reinforce the new skills they are learning.
Typical Behavior of Preschoolers
Most preschoolers show an improvement in their attention span which means they
should be getting better at completing tasks such as cleaning their room. They also seem to
appreciate taking on new responsibilities, but often seek reassurance that they are doing things
correctly.
They usually relish showing off any new talents and might show some new found
confidence in their skills. They tend to enjoy sharing with peers; however, they are prone to
conflict with other children as they don’t yet have the social skills to resolve a lot of peer-related
issues.
They should be gaining an increased ability to recognize their own emotions, as well as
other people’s emotions. They often tend to look to adults they trust to learn how to react during
challenging situations. They can be exhibit frequent shifts in their mood and be highly emotional
at times as they shift from happy and loving to angry and defiant.
Although they should be showing improved self-discipline skills, they usually like to test
the limits often. When told to do something, they might tend to refuse, simply to see how a
caregiver is going to react. They may be prone to whining and complaining at this age as well.
Common Ways of Establishing Discipline / Classroom Control
Discipline occupies the center stage in all learning activities. A classroom where good
discipline prevails is most conducive to purposeful activities. On the other hand improper
behavior distracts attention and disrupts procedures being undertaken
Because of the important role that students’ behavior play in achieving learning
objectives every school sets its own policies regarding maintenance of appropriate discipline.
Said policies would depend upon the concept of discipline they believe in and the extent of the
responsibilities willingly accepted by all.

2. Schools differ in how they achieve and maintain good discipline. Following are some
common practices:
a. Discipline is the students’ responsibility. They practice in formulating rules for their own
behavior and they are expected to observe them. If they misbehave, the teacher accepts
no excuses. They must be ready for the consequences.
b. Discipline is the teachers’ way of establishing a desirable student-oriented environment
for learning. Teams of learners work and study together for a common goal, thus
lessening the occurrence of discipline problems. The feeling of belonging and strength in
their union prevails.
c. Discipline is coupled with effective teaching strategies and techniques. A well-planned
learning activity will go on smoothly with less interruption caused by misbehavior.
d. Discipline is achieved through the effects of group dynamics on behavior. Individual
behavior affects the group; likewise the group expectations win the individual behavior.
Classroom control is maintained.
e. Discipline is believed to be the exclusive responsibility of the teachers. They have the
right to insist on proper behavior. They announce the rules that students are expected to
follow. Good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is dealt with accordingly. It is
termed “assertive discipline”.
Modes A and E set extremes of behavioral control, one emanating from the students
themselves and the other strictly from the teachers and the rest of the school authorities. Modes
B, C, and D set situations wherein students and teachers share responsibilities in maintaining
proper control of classroom behavior.
Leaving the students solely accountable for their conduct in class develops a deep
sense of orderliness in their actions and manners. They learn self-control early in life which will
help them deal with others with confidence. The danger is the likelihood that they may feel too
free to responds in any way they prefer since they were the ones who set the rules and not the
adults.
Assertive discipline exercised mainly by the teachers may lead to and “autocratic
classroom” with no choice but to obey as “set by the rules”. They feel duty-bound to follow
strictly.
The teachers’ skill in employing interesting, challenging and relevant teaching
methodologies which motivate the students to actively participate and manage their own
learning serves as the best guarantee of beneficial and respectful classroom control. Both enjoy
a winning situation, the students gaining knowledge and useful information on one hand and the
teachers feeling satisfied and rewarded in seeing them learn.
Classroom discipline taken as a conglomeration of all kinds of responses and manners
that are exhibited by a great diversity of learners is never entirely free from misdeeds, lapses or
minor offenses. The kind of discipline achieved will depend on the students’ personalities, level
of maturity and interests, at the same time on the pedagogical skill and managerial ability of the
teachers.
Best Discipline Strategies

3. The best way to deal with behavior problems is to prevent them. Teach your child about
feelings and teach problem-solving skills and it will prevent a lot of behavior problems. However,
when behavior problems arise, it’s important to use consistent discipline to deter them from
being repeated.
Provide Routine and Structure – Preschoolers often thrive in well-structured
environments. Provide a consistent routine and a lot of structure to your child’s day in
regards to homework, chores and morning and bedtime routines. Establish clear
household rules to help your child understand your expectations.
Ignore Mild Misbehavior – Ignoring is an effective behavior modification technique that
can reduce attention-seeking behaviors such as whining, complaining or mild temper
tantrums.
Giving Praises – Praise the positive behaviors as soon as you see them and they’re
likely to be repeated. This can reinforce a preschooler confidence and it ensures them
that you are noticing when they are trying to follow the rules.
Time Out – Time out can be a great tool to teach your child how to calm himself down.
You can also refer to it as “quiet time” or a cooling off period so he’ll be more likely to
use time out on his own when he’s feeling upset.
Giving Rewards – Preschoolers are often very interested in earning money or
rewards. Create a reward system to address specific behavior problems or consider
a token economy system to encourage good behavior.
Modeling – Most 6 year olds are very interested in learning how to behave in social
situations and how to manage their feelings. Role modeling appropriate behavior is one
of the best ways to teach them how to manage their emotions.
Logical Consequences – Logical consequences are a great way to help your child
learn from his mistakes. Most preschoolers are able to see the direct link between their
behavior and the consequence which can prevent them from repeating the behavior next
time.
Natural Consequences – Since a lot of preschoolers want to be able to make some
decisions on their own, allowing them to face natural consequences can be a great
learning experience, as long as it is safe to do so.
Common Ways of Dealing with Discipline Problems
Acceptable and effective:
Use verbal reinforcers that encourage good behavior and discourage bad tendencies.
Use non-verbal gestures, frown or a hard look to dissuade them from mischief.
Dialogues could help in discovering problems and agreeing on mutually beneficial
solutions.
Focus attention on one who is unruly and is about to disturb the neighbors. Lead him/her
to a secluded area and nicely convince him/her to be quiet.
Award merits for good behavior and demerits for inconsistencies and lapses.
A private, one-on-one brief conference could lead to a better understanding of mistakes
that need to be remedied or improved.

4. Allow students the freedom to express or explain agitated feelings and misgivings rather
than censure them right away.
Unacceptable and ineffective:
Scolding and harsh words as a reprimand will have a negative effect on the entire class.
Nagging and faultfinding, together with long “sermons” are repugnant and nasty.
Keeping a student in a “detention area” during or after classes as a penalty for
misbehavior is a waste of time and occasion for learning. The shameful experience is
not easy to forget.
Denying a student some privileges due to unnecessary hyperactivity could all the more
encourage repetitions.
Assignment of additional homework compared to the rest could make them dislike the
subject.
Use of ridicule or sarcasm could humiliate and embarrass a formentor.
Grades for academic achievement should not be affected due to misdemeanor.
SOURCES:
- The Teaching Profession by Bilbao, et al., Lorimar Publishing Inc. pp 72-75
- http://discipline.about.com/od/disciplinebyage/a/Effective-Discipline-Techniques-For-6year-old-Children.htm