Kid's Games to Enhance Discipline

With many children, a lecture just won’t do. Instead, try using discipline-enhancing games to get your child on the right track. It’s important remain patient and to stay consistent when it comes to disciplining your children. By playing a discipline-enhancing game, the child may not even realize what the parent is setting out to accomplish, but the parent may get the point across anyway.

According to the Parents.com website, Build a Train is an awesome game for children to play with their parents. Directions on the site say to take several cardboard boxes big enough for the child to sit in and using a variety of art supplies (such as construction paper, markers, etc), decorate the outside of the box to make train “wheels” and “windows.” Have the children help arrange the cars, so that one is in front of the other, to form a train. This type of activity helps children be imaginative and requires teamwork and children to follow direction.

Mother May I is an old game that children have played for many years. It comes in as No. 5 of the 23 discipline activities on the list on the Parents.com website. The game helps develop good listening skills as kids learn to follow directions. One person (usually the parent) stands in front of the other children. The children playing line up side-by-side facing the person directing. If playing with more than one child, give commands to individual children, using the child’s name. For example, “Beth, take two big steps forward.” Beth should first ask, “Mother, May I?” before she goes. You have the option to say, “Yes, you may,” or “No, you may not.” Make sure Beth says “Thank you,” before stepping forward if you give a “yes.” If a child takes a step forward or does an activity without asking, “Mother May I,” you can say, “I didn’t say that you may step forward, take three steps back.” The child that reaches you first is the winner. You can switch off playing the game and allowing a child to play the mother.

The “I Never Thought of It” game consists of taking several items (or containers), such as boxes, bins and other containers and place them in front of the child. Pick one of the objects up and have the child problem-solve how the item can be used differently than it had been. For example, if a bin is usually used for holding toys, you might put the bin on your head and wear it as a hat. This type of problem solving helps children view things a little differently and learn to solve their own problems. This is No. 13 on the Parents.com list.