How to deal with unruly DS

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Hoping childcare professionals can help me. DS is 4 years old and his behaviour is deteriorating. He ignores adults when they tell him to do something and generally enjoys messing around with his brother and friends and becomes floppy when asked to stand/go to someone. How would a childcare professional deal with a child who doesn’t want to listen and refuses to stand/cooperate with an adult. I don’t feel manually moving/forcing him to stand is the answer since he will get bigger/stronger and I’m not teaching him anything.

Sounds like age appropriate behaviour, but you can and should use positive reinforcement and natural consequences to move him out of this stage as soon as possible (mostly because its a PITA)

If he goes floppy and so you cant go to the park - Well DS, you weren't walking nicely so because of your choice to behave like that we wont have time for the park

If he is walking nicely. DS what a good walker you are, its so nice when you walk properly because we can chat like a you are big boy

Thanks for your reply Sea. What can I do in the moment, when he is disobeying me. I understand positive reinforcement working over a period of time, but I don’t know what to do at that moment in order to make him listen when he should be.

Have a read of 1-2-3-Magic - works wonders with mine (when I remember to use the techniques!)