Positive Guidance for Children’s Behaviour Part 2:
Teaching Children What To Do Instead
Course Overview
This course focuses on practical, proactive strategies educators can use to guide children’s behaviour in respectful, effective, and developmentally appropriate ways.
It explores how teachers’ own responses influence behaviour, how to reduce and prevent minor misbehaviours, and how to teach children the skills they need to regulate emotions and make positive choices.
The course also covers proactive response styles, redirection, emotional regulation, replacement behaviours, behaviour maps, classroom systems, positive reinforcement, and how to develop and implement effective positive guidance behaviour plans.
Why This Course Matters
Most behaviour challenges can be reduced when educators have clear systems, shared language, calm responses, and intentional strategies in place.
Children need adults who are consistent, proactive, and focused on teaching rather than punishing. This course gives educators practical tools to help children learn inner control, emotional regulation, and appropriate behaviour over time.
What Participants Will Learn
In this course, participants will explore:
- The difference between reactive, hostile, and proactive adult responses
- How adult responses can escalate or reduce behaviour challenges
- Proactive behaviour guidance approaches for managing most minor misbehaviours
- How to use redirection effectively
- How to foster emotional regulation in children
- How to teach children to name feelings and use emotional strategies
- How to use replacement behaviours to teach children what to do instead
- How to use visual supports such as cue cards, social stories, behaviour maps, and stop-think-act strategies
- How to create simple classroom behaviour systems with clear expectations and logical consequences
- How to use praise, encouragement, and reinforcement to strengthen desired behaviour
- How to develop and implement positive guidance behaviour plans
- The importance of consistency across teaching teams and families
- How to document, track, and review behaviour support plans
Key Focus Areas
This course helps educators strengthen their practice in:
- Calm, clear, direct communication
- Teaching rather than punishing
- Identifying goal behaviours
- Planning for prevention, teaching, and follow-through
- Creating consistent classroom systems
- Working in partnership with parents and whānau
- Supporting children to build self-regulation and resilience
Key Takeaway
Positive guidance is about teaching children the skills they need to succeed.
When educators respond proactively, consistently, and respectfully, they help children build emotional regulation, confidence, and positive behaviour patterns for life.
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