Positive Reinforcement: How to Use it to Teach or Improve Behavior

Parents often ask questions such as “How can I get my child to do ___?” or “How can I get my child to stop doing ___?” One of the best strategies is to use positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a positive consequence following a behavior. If used correctly, parents can use positive reinforcement to teach a child to do more of something they want them to do and as a consequence, less of something they don’t want them to do. For example, if a parent wants their children to stop fighting, they could use positive reinforcement to encourage more pleasant interactions. To do this, they could provide reinforcement following any positive (or friendly) interaction that they witness between their children, such as sharing, saying a nice word, waiting turns, sitting quietly together, etc. The positive reinforcement can be in the form of anything that the child is interested in, such as attention from the parent, verbal praise, high 5’s, a smile, a sticker, a small reward, etc. The more this is done, the most common scenario is that the children will find it more beneficial and also more enjoyable to interact well with each other than to fight. Thereby, positive interactions are increased and fighting is decreased! This article provides parents with more detailed descriptions of how to use positive reinforcement in the home environment. Take a read! Positive reinforcement is one of the most useful tools in a parent’s toolbox!