Realistic expectations for behaviour
How to set realistic expectations for behaviour in line with the age and development of tamariki.
Learning goals
- Understand children’s development and have realistic expectations of them.
- Explore ways of dealing with certain contexts and behaviours.
Discuss realistic expectations for behaviour
What we can realistically expect from children’s behaviour is mainly determined by their current stage of development, and the context in which the behaviour is taking place.
Read page 23 of Module 2 – Child development and behaviour. [LINK]
Then try this exercise:
- Think of a situation where a child has ‘misbehaved’.
- Think about their age, their stage of development, where they were, and what was expected of them.
- Talk about why the behaviour may have happened.
Or discuss any of the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: Your friends are complaining that their 2-year-old makes a mess when they eat out at a café.
- What do you think they might reasonably expect?
- What suggestions might you offer them?
Scenario 2: Your friend gets upset when his 14-month-old won’t share his toys with a visiting child of a similar age.
- What do you think your friend might reasonably expect?
- What would your advice be?
Scenario 3: A friend’s baby has just started to crawl, and the friend is getting cross because baby keeps pulling things off the shelves and wants to play with the plugs and power points.
- What do you think your friend might reasonably expect?
- What might you talk about with her?
