Kids of all ages can benefit from outdoor activities that get their blood pumping. These activities address boredom while also encouraging group participation. Play soccer on the field with the kids or just encourage them to kick around a few soccer balls. Taking the kids on nature walks also helps the kids stay on their best behavior. Encourage them to collect bugs, leaves, rocks and other items in jars while walking along the nature path. Do a few jumping jacks or play outdoor games with the kids, along with featuring other sports.
Encourage your students to make craft projects that reinforce good deeds or manners. They can paint pictures of someone doing chores, sitting at the table eating food with family or doing other favorable activities. Help them make a behavior collage with pictures of kids smiling and helping others. The kids can also include other positive images on the collage such as happy face stickers, drawings and gold stars. The children may also benefit from making reward chart posters. Use a ruler to make columns and help the kids label various good deeds, chores or charitable acts one-by-one in the far left-hand vertical column. They can label the main horizontal column at the very top with the days of the week. The kids can decorate the border with drawings and stickers and take the charts home. Parents can then fill the charts with gold stars when their kids behave.
Read stories about good behavior, manners and other ethical topics. Some kids may need a little encouragement and extra reinforcement to help them understand the value of treating others right and not acting out in any way. Read stories that demonstrate consequences for bad behaviors and rewards for good behavior. They might like stories such as “Teeth are Not for Biting (Good Behavior Series)” by Elizabeth Verdick and Marieka Heinlen, or “Clifford’s Good Deeds” by Norman Bridwell.
Older children in kindergarten and beyond may benefit from writing about their frustrations. You can ask them why they misbehave and ask them to write about what triggers this. After writing a good paragraph or two, the children may feel better and realize that their behavior isn’t accomplishing anything. Kids may feel frustrated by how other kids are treating them or because of issues at home. Getting the words out on paper may encourage them to talk about it or cease their bad behavior. Little kids might want to just scribble on a page to get their anger out.