12 Short parenting tips that are effective with children

Parents play a vital role in their children’s lives. Parents are often held accountable for raising well-adjusted and socially responsible children, and that is a huge responsibility. Things get even more complicated as every child is unique and so is every parent. And there are no ‘one size fits all’ types of parenting solutions. However, there are a few parenting tips that can benefit all parents while raising their young ones. 

Twelve short tips that can benefit all parents

To keep these tips short, we will link every short tip listed here with an elaborate article that we have published before with all the references. Do look it up if you want detailed information on any of these short tips: 

1. Regular meditation is linked with an improvement in learning and memory, enhancing health, and increasing longevity. Meditate with your child every day for five minutes. Parents can also use finger breathing to make meditation interesting for their children. 
2. Teach your child the power of ‘yet.’ Encourage your child to use statements that end with ‘yet’ to inculcate a growth mindset. For example: ‘I cannot do this yet’, ‘I am not good at it yet,’ etc.  It will slowly change how your child responds to challenging situations. 
3. To improve your child’s communication skills, encourage them to participate in this famous activity called ‘Show and tell.’ It is a simple activity where the child picks up a random household item and talks about it for a minute in front of others. Parents can ask probing questions if the child struggles with speaking for a full minute. 
4. Encourage your child to try something new and help them step out of their comfort zone. Reassure children that you are there for them, no matter what, to make them feel comfortable about trying something new in which they may not immediately succeed.  
5. Make it a point to ask your child about their homework and check if they have completed it. Parental guidance in homework is important as it sends a message that homework is important. Ensure that your child has access to all the resources they need to complete their homework. 
6. Parents can create a bedtime routine for their child to ensure a good night’s sleep. In case of younger children, picture charts depicting their bedtime routine can make it easy for the child to understand what is expected of them at bedtime. 
7. When trying to get your child to eat new food items, do introduce the same item for at least 10-15 times before taking them out of rotation. Also, experiment with the temperature and texture of these new food items. Start with small portions of new food items. 
8. Engage periodically in sensory play to strengthen your child’s gross and fine motor skills. Create sensory bins with different age-appropriate and developmentally suitable materials such as coloured rice and beans (for tasting), random things such as buttons and bottle caps, and equipment such as mould and rolling pin to play with these materials. 
9. Learn the difference between meltdowns and tantrums to manage them better. A meltdown is a result of sensory overload whereas a tantrum is a way of expressing frustration. 
10. While setting up a playroom for a child, check if the child can access all the toys on their own. Also, keep a limited number of toys in the playroom and keep rotating them every other week. See if the child can move around in the playroom to explore it. 
11. Teach children ‘how to listen’ instead of telling them ‘to listen’. You can use the whole body listening method to teach them how to listen actively. Remember that listening can be tiring so be patient if they lose interest quickly. 
12. Give clear instructions to the child. It is one way of increasing the likelihood of children following through the parental instructions. Tell the child what to do instead of what to avoid. Check if the child has understood the instructions by asking the child to explain the instructions in their own words.

These tips will help you tackle your unique parenting challenge. Remember that showing up for a child and being a predictable parent is far more important than anything else as it makes them feel safe. 

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