Today's Tip for Families

2026-07-07

Communication is Effective for Correcting Behavior

Children's misbehavior can test families' patience and make tempers short. But responding to misbehavior with physical punishment is never appropriate. In studies, children who experienced physical punishments had slower cognitive development and lower intelligence test scores that other children. The reason may be that families who do not spank their children spend more time talking with them.

Effective discipline teaches rather than punishes. Researchers studying young children found that those whose families used forms of discipline other than spanking scored higher on tests of their ability to learn and recognize things. They found that families who didn't use physical punishments reasoned with their children more. This type of conversation helps children understand why a behavior is wrong. They also help children learn to think and reason for themselves.

When your child misbehaves, explain what was wrong. Then, help your child think about why it was wrong. Finally, discuss what your child should do differently in the future.

Brought to you by:

West Point Consolidated School District