Reward good behavior with attention. Praise your child when he is being quiet, obedient, nice to others, sharing and behaving well overall. Thank your child for his efforts and mention the specific behavior he is being good at. For example, thank your child for sharing his toys. Avoid giving him a prize or treat, as the biggest reward for an attention-seeking child is attention, and this will teach your child he needs to be good when he wants attention.
Spend time each day with your child to help her understand that attention comes from good behavior. Take time to play games, read books, color and enjoy other activities with your preschooler. Spend time talking to each child in a classroom setting and praising each child for her achievements.
Ignore attention-seeking misbehavior. Do not respond when your child is whining or crying for attention. Do not show frustration towards your child and remain calm, as this might be what he is looking for. Warn your child after a few minutes of bad behavior that you will not listen until he explains clearly what he wants and does not whine. Warn your child a second time before putting him on time out. Put your child on time out for a few minutes if the misbehavior continues.
Ignore attention-seeking behavior and not bad behavior. Punish bad behavior, such as breaking a toy or hitting, with time out. Learn to differentiate when your child is seeking attention and when she is misbehaving for other reasons, such as frustration or jealousy. Remain calm and do not show anger towards your child, since that might be the reaction she is looking for.