Parenting Skills For Three Year Olds

Five teachers using a combined 90 decades of experience share advice for parents of 2- to 5-year-olds. Getting the Best from Your Kid I fear my 3-year-old, Sophie, has a split personality. At school she cleans her toys up, lays her shoes, and is entirely self-sufficient at potty time. At home, she whines when I ask her to pick up anything, insists that I join in the bathroom whenever she has to go, and recently has begun requiring that I spoon-feed her dinner. Clearly, her teacher understands something that I don't. But then, what parent hasn't sometimes wondered: Why is my child better for everyone else than for me? The easy answer: Your kid tests her limits with you because she trusts you'll love her no matter what. But that doesn't mean you can't borrow a few plans from the preschool teachers' playbook to get the best from your little one. We requested teachers from all over the nation for their tips so listen up -- and take notes! .

Encourage teamwork.

If your child is fighting over a toy with another child, set a timer for five minutes, indicates Buss. Inform one kid he can have the toy until he hears the buzzer, then it will be the other kid 's turn.

Involve her in righting her wrongs

If you find her coloring on the walls, then have her help wash it off. If she yells over a playmate's block tower, then ask her to help reconstruct it.

Use sticker charts and benefits judiciously

If a kid is always working for the benefit, he won't learn the real reasons for doing things -- that he must pick up his toys because relatives pitch in, says Buss. Best bet: Reserve benefits for finite jobs, such as potty training, but prevent offering them for everyday things, such as dressing himself or brushing his teeth.

Don't reevaluate what they've done.

If your son or daughter makes her bed, resist the impulse to smooth the blankets. If she sees herself in stripes and polka dots, compliment her eclectic fashion. Unless absolutely necessary, don't fix what your child accomplishes, says Kathy Buss, manager of this Weekday Nursery School, in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. She'll notice and it may dissuade her