If you’re struggling with problem behavior, take heart. It can be challenging to enforce boundaries with younger children. Still, you have the benefit of imagination (I doubt a teen would want a “make-your-bed fairy” checking in on them). To help you get a handle on things, we asked some talented elementary school teachers for their best classroom management advice that you can use at home. Try it at home: Need to corral a bunch of six-year-olds at a birthday party? Whisper, “If you want cake, hop on one foot.” Goofy jumping is bound to be contagious. Try it at home: You can’t set a timer every time your child starts a sentence with “I don’t wanna.” But allowing one 60-second over-the-top display of whining about feeding the cat could buy you a drama-free afternoon. Try it at home: If you have a reluctant writer, help them out by acting as a pen pal of sorts. Write notes to each other, leaving them on pillows or taped to the bathroom mirror. Try it at home: Make-Your-Bed Fairy, anyone? Try it at home: Are the kids wired this evening? Try eating dinner by candlelight, or reach for the dimmer switch. Try it at home: Scrambled eggs or cereal? Leggings or jeans? Just make sure there aren’t so many choices that you’re late for school because your child is still debating. Try it at home: Snap a picture of blocks or dolls and tape it to the front of the storage box where those things belong. Or if your child loves to draw, have them draw pictures of their toys. Try it at home: Watch kids scurry about to be the one who finds—and puts away—a magic item in the playroom. The winner chooses what’s for dinner. Try it at home: Do they want to keep playing when bath time is over? Let them! Out comes the kid, in go the toys (and maybe new water). Try it at home: If “Look at me when I’m speaking to you” falls on deaf ears, get creative. Try, “Find a freckle on the tip of my nose” or “Let’s sit and put our heads together while we talk.” Try it at home: “Catch” your kids behaving well by walking over and placing a sticker on their hands when they are playing peacefully. They then move freshly earned stickers to a chart taped to the refrigerator. After they’ve earned 20, break out the ice cream.
