Top 10 Effective Methods for Teaching Preschool Children Discipline That Every Teacher Should Know

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Ngày cập nhật gần nhất: 15/4/2026

Content

1. Cultivating Habits in Every Activity, At Any Time, and Everywhere

2. Effective Strategies for Dealing with Mischievous Children Who Don’t Listen

3. Promoting Collaboration Between Teachers and Families

4. Shaping Discipline Through a Teacher's Affection for Children

5. Rewarding Children Appropriately

6. Effective Preparation and Collection of Creative Educational Materials to Enhance Children's Engagement

7. Fostering True Independence

8. Organizing Seating Arrangements Effectively

9. Encouraging Learning through Play: “Learning while Playing, Playing while Learning” Anytime, Anywhere.

10. Setting a Positive Example in Daily Activities

1. Cultivating Habits in Every Activity, At Any Time, and Everywhere

Each day, children participate in various activities such as mealtime, nap time, hygiene routines, study, playtime, pick-up, and drop-off periods—these are all opportunities to instill discipline. For preschool-aged children, teaching them these habits is not an easy task. Since children are still young and unaware like older kids, this presents a major challenge for the teacher. In order to help children develop consistent habits, it’s important for the teacher to be gentle, close, and affectionate. Through songs, poems, stories, or games with a theme of discipline and routine, the teacher can guide the children and help them relate these lessons to their own behavior, becoming more obedient. Learning and Play Habits: Teach children the habit of associating each time with a specific task. During lessons, children should remain quiet and follow the teacher’s instructions, refrain from talking, crying, or teasing others, and actively participate. Children should play nicely, collaborate, share, and help each other. They should take care of toys, not destroy them or fight for them, and be independent and enthusiastic during group play. For example: Teach children to greet each other through songs like 'Good Morning Song' or poems such as 'Say Hello, Pretty Mouth'. After playtime, teach children to clean up with a song like: “Playtime is over, let’s put toys away, be gentle now, and store them properly.” Eating and Sleeping Habits: Teach children the importance of eating and sleeping routines. Children should learn to eat their meals without spilling, not talk during meals, wash their hands before and after eating, and sleep quietly and on time. Using poems or songs like 'Meal Time' or 'Time for Bed', children will learn these habits. Hygiene and Self-care Habits: Teach children to maintain personal hygiene and be independent. They should keep their bodies clean, dress appropriately for the weather, and wash their hands before meals. They should also learn simple tasks like folding sheets or using the toilet correctly. Through poems such as 'Wipe Your Nose' and 'Wash Your Hands', children will understand the importance of cleanliness. In conclusion, developing good habits in children across all activities—learning, playing, eating, sleeping, and hygiene—requires the teacher’s genuine care and gradual, gentle guidance. The teacher should become a second mother to the child, fostering their self-confidence and enthusiasm for these daily routines.

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)

Instilling Habits and Discipline in Every Activity, Anytime, Anywhere

2. Effective Strategies for Dealing with Mischievous Children Who Don’t Listen

One of the most common challenges preschool teachers face is handling mischievous children who refuse to listen. So, what’s the solution for instilling discipline in these children? The answer lies in patience, sweetness, gentleness, and using reward-based games or challenges. The teacher can assign small tasks to the child and praise them when they perform well. If the class has already developed good habits, the teacher can assign the child to oversee a group of friends and remind them to stay on task. By doing so, the child becomes a role model for others and learns to behave better. Some teachers use the technique of ‘praise before correction,’ where they say, for example, as the class enters: 'Today, Khang will sit and study quietly without talking.' Similarly, during mealtime or playtime, the teacher can say, 'Today, Khang will eat well and finish his meal first.' It’s important to gently praise children when they do something wrong rather than resort to punishment.

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)

Appropriate Strategies for Dealing with Disobedient and Mischievous Children

3. Promoting Collaboration Between Teachers and Families

For effective development of initial discipline and habits in children, the role of parents is crucial. Therefore, teachers should communicate and collaborate with parents to better understand the child’s characteristics and behavior. It's important for the teacher and the child’s parents to exchange information so that the child can also develop good habits at home. This partnership ensures that children’s discipline and behavior are cultivated scientifically and consistently both at school and at home. Teachers can encourage parents to gather pictures, poems, songs, and stories that align with the child’s educational needs, as well as contribute materials for creating educational toys and tools that enhance the learning experience.

Ways teachers can communicate with parents include:

During child drop-off and pick-up times
At parent-teacher meetings
Through posted information, including educational pictures, poems, and stories that can be easily seen by parents during pick-up times

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)

Promoting Collaboration Between Teachers and Families

4. Shaping Discipline Through a Teacher's Affection for Children

For preschoolers, especially those between 25 to 36 months old, this is an age where they are still very attached to the loving embrace of their mothers. Therefore, when they come to school, they often feel a mixture of curiosity, unfamiliarity, and homesickness, with some even crying in fear. Because at this age, children are deeply emotional, they need gentle affection from the teacher, especially during their first days at school. The teacher’s role is to create an environment where the child feels safe, loved, and part of the group, helping them to bond with the community they are integrating into.

The teacher's emotional connection with the child should be nurturing, loving, and akin to a mother-child relationship, showing respect and empathy toward the child to foster a welcoming and enthusiastic atmosphere. Through their personal charisma, teachers can easily draw the child into various activities.

For instance, when welcoming a child on their first day, the teacher may gently hold and comfort the child, showing them pictures, talking to them, or singing to calm their fears. During meal times and naps, when everything feels new to the child, the teacher should kindly encourage, feed them spoon by spoon, ensure they don't talk while eating, refrain from sharing their food with others, and prevent spills. This gentle approach helps the child feel secure and confident in their daily activities.

Therefore, shaping discipline through a teacher's affection is crucial for young children, as they thrive on gentleness, affection, and close connection. Teachers should invest emotional warmth in their relationships with the children so they feel supported and confident in their activities throughout the day.

Teachers should remember that the most important quality in early childhood education is genuine love and care for the children. With this love, no challenge is insurmountable. Always be close to the children, provide them with a sense of safety, and engage them in enjoyable activities. Avoid reprimanding, scolding, or threatening them, as this can negatively affect their mental state. Instead, refer to them as "children" rather than "it" to maintain respect and kindness.

Illustrative image (Source: Internet)

Nurturing Children Through Affection from the Teacher

5. Rewarding Children Appropriately

At the age of 3 to 4 years, children undergo rapid physical and psychological development, making them curious and eager to imitate. Teachers need to respect children and act fairly by rewarding and reprimanding appropriately. Praise and criticism can greatly influence children's behavior, but it's important to avoid over-praising or giving vague criticism. The best approach is to praise good role models so that children can imitate them. Compliments from teachers encourage children to enjoy continuing positive behaviors. At the same time, children who have not yet shown good behavior will observe the praise given to others and will be motivated to improve in order to receive similar recognition.

Examples of actions that should be praised and rewarded include:

Being punctual and attending class neatly dressed.
Greeting the teacher upon arrival and properly storing belongings without crying.
Eating independently and finishing their meals.
Helping classmates.

Rewarding Children Appropriately

6. Effective Preparation and Collection of Creative Educational Materials to Enhance Children's Engagement

In all activities, and especially in routine-building tasks, educational toys and materials play a crucial role. Teachers should actively gather available resources to create toys and materials that are visually appealing, creative, and engaging, while ensuring safety, proper use, and age-appropriateness. Arranging the materials neatly within the children's reach helps encourage their involvement in activities, allowing them to feel more comfortable and confident.

By utilizing creative educational materials during daily activities, children's enthusiasm will increase, fostering more positive engagement. This approach not only enhances children's confidence and involvement but is also a key factor in improving the quality and effectiveness of their learning experience.

Creating Educational Toys

Let Children Play with Creative Toys

7. Fostering True Independence

Fostering true independence is an essential approach in guiding children to develop good habits. From the preschool age, children should be encouraged to bring their own belongings to class, assisting their parents in this way to build independence. By gradually carrying their bags on their own, children begin to form this important habit. As they grow accustomed to this, they will become more independent in learning and self-discipline, no longer overly reliant on their family. This makes attending school feel less like a chore.

Moreover, instilling independence early provides a solid foundation for children to nurture a sense of self-reliance that will stay with them as they progress through school. This method, widely practiced in Japan, is proven to be effective and beneficial in fostering long-term independence.

Fostering True Independence

8. Organizing Seating Arrangements Effectively

It is important not to rush children into forming habits too quickly. At first, teachers should be flexible with the children's preferences, observing what they like and want. Over time, understanding the unique way each child responds is essential...

Understanding a child's personality is crucial when arranging seating:

Shy children should sit next to more confident and active peers.
Children with average social skills should sit near those with similar characteristics.
Children who are energetic, talkative, or prone to distractions should be seated near the teacher or a well-behaved child for better supervision and management.

Teachers should encourage and praise progress in lively or challenging children when they show improvement. In addition, teachers should regularly guide children in proper behavior, such as walking, greetings, and answering questions when needed.

From the first day of class, while settling the children, the teacher should focus on shaping their habits and routines during daily activities. Once children have established routines, they become more engaged and focused in activities, making it easier to absorb knowledge and enjoy activities like storytelling, singing, dancing, and more. Most importantly, children develop confidence, boldness, and emotional expression through these activities.

Effective Seating Arrangements

Proper Seating Arrangement

9. Encouraging Learning through Play: “Learning while Playing, Playing while Learning” Anytime, Anywhere.

Encouraging children to engage in “Learning while Playing, Playing while Learning” is a method that should be applied consistently. Teachers should gather readily available materials to create toys and learning tools that are visually appealing, creative, and suitable for the child's age. The toys should be arranged neatly at a child's level to make it easier and more inviting for them to engage in activities with confidence.

For example, if a child is crying because they miss their family, the teacher can pick them up and guide them to various play areas, showing pictures or toys like dolls and cooking sets. The teacher can point to the images and ask questions like: “Who is in this picture? What are we doing here? Tomorrow, we can look at flowers together and make a house just like the others!” Focusing on toys and engaging learning materials keeps children interested and active, boosting their participation and enhancing the effectiveness of their activities.

Illustrative Image (Source: Internet)

Engaging Children in “Learning through Play, Playing through Learning” Anytime, Anywhere

10. Setting a Positive Example in Daily Activities

At the preschool age, children's physical and emotional development is rapidly advancing. They are curious, enjoy imitating others, and are easily influenced. Teachers must respect the children and be fair when giving praise or correction. Both praise and correction have a significant impact on children's behavior, but it is important to avoid excessive praise or generalized criticism. It is essential to frequently praise good role models so that other children can follow their example.

For instance, a teacher may praise children who arrive on time, wear tidy clothes, and greet the teacher properly. Through songs, poems, and stories, the teacher can reinforce these good habits at all times. Additionally, if a child has a tendency to be spoiled or misbehaves due to overindulgence from family, the teacher should take the opportunity to guide the child gently during activities, providing positive examples to encourage better behavior.

Illustrative Image (Source: Internet)

Setting a Positive Example through Daily Activities

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