Effective Redirection Techniques

Effective Redirection Techniques

What are some of the best ways to direct a child’s attention away from an unwanted behavior, and toward a more desired behavior?  This is likely one of the most common questions asked by parents and teachers alike. There are many strategies for working with young children to encourage more of those behaviors that are desired, and fewer of the behaviors that are not desired. These are important for parents and teachers to keep in mind as they work through those behaviors with their children.

First, encourage desired behaviors with positive reinforcement. Give specific praise and encouragement when a child is participating in desired behaviors. In essence, be their cheerleader! Give direct, specific encouragement and just watch and see how eager the child is to give you more of the same. If you are in a situation where a child is refusing to get dressed, you can give them specific choices.  “Would you like to wear the blue or the red pants today, you choose!” Giving two specific choices is a great strategy for encouraging children to make a choice in the moment, while still helping them to have a sense of control over their own situation. Make sure you give them two choices, each of which still accomplishes the task you want them to accomplish. You’ll notice in the example I gave, your goal was for the child to get dressed, you offered them the choice of which color pants they were going to wear. They still get to a make a decision, but no matter what they pick they are still getting dressed. A choice that also works well for a lot of situations is to ask the child, “would you like to do it on your own or would you like me to help you?” This lets the child know that the outcome is taking place either way but they can do it or if they aren’t able or willing to do it, you will help them.

You can also try, diverting the child’s attention to something else. For example, if a child is crying because they miss their mom or dad at school, take out a toy with excitement or try a new art project. This can help distract them from the problem they are feeling and get them engaged in a constructive activity.

Other effective techniques include:

Giving direct instruction, again being as specific as possible.  “Can you find me five red blocks to put in the bucket?” 

Asking the child to help with a task. “You know what? I just remembered I left my clipboard over by the door. Would you please, go grab it and bring it to me?” 

Changing activities can help, if children are not playing well together, encourage one or both to go do something else instead.  Put the activity away for a moment and give them something else to focus on.  And finally, it is sometimes helpful to give kids a break.

Allow children to take a sensory break. Sometimes a break from activities, with a chance to breathe, go to a quiet area, get away from friends and noise and action, can be really helpful for a child’s system. 

If none of these suggestions are helpful and you ever find yourself in a situation where you are truly frustrated with a child, remember that it’s always an option to give yourself a break! Take a time out for a moment, and breathe yourself, take a quick walk or ask another adult to step in to help.  Children are challenging and require a lot of energy, give yourself grace and permission to ask for help when needed.