How to raise a three-year-old

 How to raise a three-year-old

It is difficult for parents to make a three-year-old child behave as they want at all times, and this may be impossible. And the necessity of having an adult with him when he leaves the house, and preventing him from jumping on the bed, and usually after the child understands these simple rules and adheres to them, other rules are started with him, especially those that aim to preserve his safety and health, and teach him good behaviour.

After the parents set the rules, they must explain them to the child, and indicate the consequences that will result from violating any of them, because the child will not follow any rule without understanding it, and if the parents notice that he has misbehaved, they must remind him of that in a nice way, for example when going to the store and taking the child the father reminds him With the following rule “Remember, nothing is allowed to be opened before it has been paid for,” as the father might say to the child when it is time to play, “Remember, do not hit your sister, because if you do that, you will be deprived of playing.”

Listening to the child's talk

Parents should inform their three-year-old child that his feelings are important to them, and this depends on creating a family environment based on love, with interest in setting firm boundaries, and taking into account listening to the child and his fears, even if the parents are not able to achieve what he wants, for example, the mother may notice that Her child's desire to share toys with his friend, and after listening to him, you may discover that the reason for this is the child's concern that his friend will take his own toys, and here she must reassure him by telling him, "I promise that your friend will not take anything, he just wants to play with them for a little while."

Giving the child several options

Parents can present several options for their three-year-old child to be able to choose between them, which gives him a sense of independence and a kind of control over his actions and decisions, thus contributing to avoiding the formation of bad behaviours and some tantrums in children, for example, a mother can offer two choices of clothes and allow her child to choose What he prefers, or his choice of the type of vegetables he wants to eat with dinner.

Create a stimulating environment for the child

It is good to prepare an interactive environment that motivates the child at the age of three to be creative, by providing him with a set of appropriate games, and offering some activities that attract his attention and arouse his interest; To keep him occupied with it, he does not find an opportunity to create problems, taking into account the necessity of removing anything dangerous or breakable from in front of him to protect it from any damage that may befall him.

Helping the child master new skills

The child’s happiness is often linked to mastering a particular skill, for example, when the child is trained to play football, he will learn from his mistakes, feel a kind of control over his life, and develop his perseverance and discipline so that he can master this skill, and thus feel joy, satisfaction and success, along with The recognition of others around him for the achievement he has achieved, and their appreciation for his efforts, and the child at the age of three needs to have the skills that he will work on mastering within his circle of interest, otherwise, he will not feel happy and fun when mastering them, and this is through the knowledge of parents for the talents that are distinguished by them, and help him focus on it.

Allow the child to express his different feelings

Parents should allow a three-year-old child to express how he feels. However, they must leave him the freedom to express that, and teach him that feeling sad sometimes is permissible and not wrong, as that is part of our life, and they must talk to him, encourage him to determine the feeling he lives, and increase his ability to express it verbally, which is a method It is better than trying to solve his problem without listening to him. For example, a mother may allow her child to express his sadness when he says, “I am sad because we did not go somewhere,” and she can then reply, “I am very sad as you.” 

Other ways to raise three-year-olds

There are many other ways that parents can follow to raise three-year-olds properly, including the following:

• Depriving a child of some privileges: Parents can deprive a three-year-old child of a privilege when he refuses to perform a certain task, or as a result of violating a pre-established rule, such as depriving him of his favourite game or watching television for a certain period.
• Praise the child’s good behaviour: Parents should encourage and praise the child when he performs good behaviour to reinforce this behaviour for him, with the need to pay attention that the praise is real without exaggeration, for example, one of the parents can say to the child “Thank you for doing what I asked you” instead of saying "You are the best kid in this world".
• Following a specific routine in the child’s life: The life of the child and family can be organized based on a specific routine, as this allows the child to be able to predict daily activities and what he will do.
• Parents’ persistence in their position with the child: The concept of constancy refers to the parent's ability to address the same bad behaviours constantly, bearing in mind that this does not include harsh punishments or yelling at the three-year-old child.

Mistakes when raising three-year-olds

There are some mistakes that some parents may make when raising a three-year-old child, including the following:

• Not being aware of the warning signs that indicate the child’s anger: Many parents try to deal with their children during their anger by repeating the word “calm down”, and these attempts are unsuccessful, during a tantrum the child is unable to hear his father and focus with him, but this may be possible before He enters a tantrum, so parents should discover and anticipate the child's natural warning signs that indicate his anger, and try to treat them by distracting him from what bothers him, and these signs are: his feeling of hunger, boredom, or fatigue, for example.
• Encouraging and responding to the child’s whining: Children at the age of three may resort to whining with determination and desire to do a certain thing. To repeat these practices to get what he wants in the future, parents should ignore their child's whine, and not respond to it at all.
• Excessive activities and tasks for the child: Some parents organize their child’s time by scheduling many activities during the day, such as music lessons, or sports without taking into account leaving time for the child to rest, and parents may think that practising all these activities will push the child to sleep directly, but this is not correct; Because it needs time to reach calm before bedtime, so parents should not put too many activities for the child during the day, and give him time to relax and play.
• Exceeding the routine in dealing with the child often: Not adhering to a specific routine makes the three-year-old feel confused and turbulent, and he may express this with outbursts of anger, if he is allowed to do something and then is prevented from doing the same thing again, he will not understand This behaviour of the parents will feel distracted, so the parents must be consistent and regular in all activities related to it, whether eating procedures, disciplinary methods, sleeping habits, or others.
• Reducing the importance of the child’s practice of playing: The child’s playing at the age of three years is what helps enrich his skills, develop and grow his brain properly, and develop his spirit of challenge, so parents should give him enough space and time to play, children at the age of three define play as The thing they do according to their choice and desire and for pleasure.
• An exaggerated reaction to lies: Parents worry that their children will sometimes lie, but they must deal with this as an experimental behaviour and not a moral error. that.

Tips for raising three-year-olds

Here are some tips that help parents when raising three-year-olds:

1. Show love to the child and avoid yelling at him: Screaming is a late and wrong defence mechanism that is used if all previous methods are not successful, and parents should be aware of the damage resulting from it on the behavioural and psychological sides of three-year-olds, so they should avoid screaming and physical punishments, and provide positive parenting education Which helps in the healthy growth and development of the child.
2. Harmony with the child: Harmony with the three-year-old helps to prepare him for good emotional health. Harmony pushes the parents to find out the reason for the child’s bad behaviours, and thus they can better meet his needs, which helps him acquire correct behaviours in the long run.
3. Giving the child full attention: A three-year-old child may sometimes perform some actions to draw the attention of his parents, in which case the parents should give him full attention in the form of frequent periods, with the need to show facial expressions and body language that make him feel this attention, such as looking into his eyes Talk to him, listen to him.
4. Cuddling and cuddling the child: The three-year-old needs hugs and hugs a lot, so parents should take this into account, and embrace him several times during the day even if they are not free.
5. Expecting the child to repeat mistakes: Three-year-olds are expected to repeat the same mistakes several times, as they may result in some bad behaviours, so parents should intervene early and encourage them to make good choices.
6. Parents take care of themselves: this is by asking parents for help when needed, and getting enough rest.

Three-year-olds

Three-year-olds need more attention from parents for their development in various aspects, such as developing more verbal skills, to be more able to follow parents' instructions, and express their ideas and special needs, and at this age, the child is going through the transition from early childhood to The nursery school and a little pre-school, which may be considered somewhat difficult, is expected to have outbursts of anger and nervousness, but on the other hand, this stage is not without a sense of humour and creativity that brings a lot of joy and happiness, and here are some The different characteristics, milestones and aspects of development that characterize three-year-olds:

• Physical development: the rate of healthy physical growth at the age of three years varies from one child to another, as each of them grows according to his own nature, but by the time most children reach this age, they have gained approximately 2 kg of weight and about 7.5 cm of height compared to what they were in the year During this age, the child’s teeth are also fully developed, and his full and prominent belly begins to gradually flatten, making his body more graceful than before.
• Emotional development: The age of three years is important for the emotional development of the child, during which the child will become more aware of his various feelings, including feelings of turmoil such as guilt, and more understanding of the feelings of others, for example, he will start caring for his friends when they cry, and he will also realize the extent to which his behaviour affects them or the impact of their behaviour on him. During this age, the child may continue to have tantrums due to his inability to express his feelings in words, and he may feel disturbed by any change in his life, as he tends to order and routine.
• Language and Communication: As for the child's language and ability to communicate with others at the age of three, he is expected to be able to:

1. Understand some words such as: in, on, down, and up.
2. Say his name, age, and gender.
3. Repeating some pronouns such as: I, we, you.
4. Mention some plural forms such as cats, dogs, and cars.
5. The ability to speak in a way that enables people to understand what they want.

• Indicators of knowledge and awareness: At the age of three, the child begins to think about things that happen around him differently, and it is noticed that some creative practices are formed in him while he performs various tasks and activities, and at the end of his third year the child can:

1. Remember and retell his favourite stories.
2. Follow simple instructions such as: wash your face, brushing your teeth, and putting on your pyjamas.
3. Begin to understand the different times of the day in terms of morning and evening, and recognize and distinguish the days of the week.