A 'time in' approach to guiding children’s behaviour
23 Feb 2017
A 'time in' approach to guiding children’s behaviour involves staying close to your child when he or she is overwhelmed with strong feelings. Staying connected helps them feel safe and secure, and to calm down. Children gradually learn to manage their own feelings and behaviour.
'Time out' is when an upset child is removed from the situation and sent or taken to a 'time out' place. They are left alone to calm down and think about what they’ve done wrong, and to change their behaviour. 'Time out' does not help a child learn how to manage strong feelings and out-of-control behaviour. It assumes a child can work out what you want on their own, or that they already know the right way to do things, but young children cannot do this.
To find out more about ‘time-in’ have a look at the topic ‘Time in: guiding children’s behaviour’.