When your children are preparing to music daycare for the first time, you may wonder how they will react to their new environment. They need to be well-behaved to get the most out of the cool opportunities that music daycare offers them. If your child has had behavioral issues in the past (and, really, what kid hasn't?), you may want to try a fun behavioral contract during their first year of daycare. That way, your child knows what is expected of them at daycare, and they know what to expect in terms of consequences at home if they misbehave.

Tip #1: Let the Child Feel They Have Power

Be sure to ask for your child's input throughout the process of creative the behavioral contract. When they feel that they are a part of setting the rules, they have a more vested interest in those rules. It is easier for even a willful child to follow rules that they help create. If the child agrees that those rules are fair, they may even want to follow them. Since they are likely interested in learning music in daycare, they may be excited to help out with this. 

Tip #2: Set Negative Consequences That You Are Willing to Enforce

Part of having a behavioral contract is that there will be negative consequences if a child breaks the rules. Be sure that the consequences aren't things that will cause a great inconvenience for you or other caregivers. You may have the consequences start smaller for a first offense and then get bigger, but they should be things that your child wants to avoid. Some negative consequences may include time-outs after daycare or the loss of screen time for a day or longer.

Tip #3: Focus on the Positive Rewards That Are Possible

One of the best ways to get a child to behave well and help increase their morale is to offer positive rewards for good behavior. Accentuate the fact that, if a child follows all the rules in their behavioral contract for a certain length of time, they get an awesome reward. Because the child earns the reward, they are likely to enjoy it even more. Some positive rewards may include a trip to a fun museum on the weekend. For following the rules for a month or other set amount of time, you may reward the child with a trip to an amusement part of other fun outing.

Finally, keep in mind that millions of kids start daycare each year, and they all adjust to their new surroundings without drama. Your little one will learn the ropes and enjoy their new music daycare in no time. Be supportive and enforce the behavioral contract as they do. Also, don't forget to be generous with positive reinforcement as your child follows the contract. That will go a long way to encourage your child to do the right things and be well-behaved in music daycare. For more information, contact companies like Performance Montessori.

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