• Effective behavior management strategies are essential when dealing with children.children image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
  
  Whether you teach in an elementary school or run a day care, you will always need to find effective behavior management strategies. Your methods of behavior management can set a positive path for the children in your charge. Effective behavior management strategies can also save you stress by showing the children that you are in charge while allowing them a chance to discover their own sense of identity.
  
  

Consequences

• The children in your care need to know there are consequences for their actions. Whether these are positive or negative consequences is up to you and the kinds of behavior you encourage and discourage. If a behavior is followed by a negative consequence then the behavior is less likely to be repeated.
  
  Conversely, if a behavior is followed by a positive consequence the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Reinforcing behavior can often make children consider the source of their problem before they act. Your reaction to the behavior is pivotal because not only are you trying to manage their behavior now, but you are trying to set an example for them in the future.
  
  

Specifics

• Telling your children "good job" is good, but giving specifics about what they have done well is better. If the child has done well on an assignment, you should commend them. You should used the same specifics for behavior that is not conducive to a healthy environment.
  
  Effective behavior management starts when the children know exactly where they stand with you. Another way to show your approval is to allow the children more control over their personal space. Children appreciate being allowed control of their environment. Letting them feel empowered is an effective behavior management strategy.
  
  

Serving Needs

• A truly effective behavior management strategy is simply keeping the child happy. That does not mean giving them whatever they want when they want it but rather giving them what they need when they have need. Often children will act up to get the attention they need from their caretakers. Physical needs can often be manifest as emotional outbursts. Keeping your children fed and in clean clothes can keep the edge off of their need to reach out in other ways.