Use positive language Instead of telling a child what not to do, we can tell them with positive language what they can do instead. Rather than, “No running” (what they should not do), we can say, “We walk inside” (what we would like them to do). Instead of, “No, don’t climb,” we can say, “You can keep your feet on the floor or you can go outside to climb.” If we tell our toddler, “Stop yelling!” we may also be raising our voice. First, they will mirror us and shout back; second, they will hear precisely what we don’t want them to do. Instead we could say (perhaps in a whisper), “Let’s use our
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