What is redirecting behaviour?
Redirecting behaviour is when you shift your child’s attention in a situation that might be challenging for them.
For example, you might use redirecting when your child:
- is bored or has nothing to do
- has been sitting still for a long time
- is struggling with a task and getting frustrated.
Pointing out something interesting, starting a simple game, pulling funny faces – you’ve probably come up with many tricks like these to distract your child and redirect their behaviour.
Redirecting can prevent challenging behaviour. It can also be a useful strategy for guiding your child towards positive behaviour.
Many things influence children’s behaviour. It’s always a good idea to think about why your child is behaving in a particular way. When you understand the reasons for your child’s behaviour, you’re better able to choose an appropriate response.
How to redirect behaviour and encourage positive behaviour: tips
Here are redirecting tips that usually work for children of all ages:
- Tune in to your child’s behaviour, and try redirecting your child before they get frustrated, bored or cranky or when you see the first signs of this behaviour.
- Give your child something else to do. Introduce a new activity, toy or game, or show your child something new they can do with the toy they already have.
- Change the scene. Put your child where they can see different things, or move your child to a new spot either inside or outside.
- Think ahead. Have a few ideas for fun activities. It could be as simple as planning outside play when you can see that your child is getting bored inside.
- Sing songs or rhymes together. This can be useful when you can’t stop what you’re doing, like when you’re driving or cooking.
- If you’re out and about, take toys or books that you can pull out when you need them.
For older children, you can try these ideas as well as the tips above:
- Change the topic of conversation.
- Suggest a simple game or activity. For example, suggest your child tries a jigsaw or a game of Uno if they say they have nothing to do.
- If things aren’t going well, acknowledge your child’s feelings and suggest a break. For example, ‘Looks like you’re feeling frustrated with your drawing. What about riding your scooter instead?’
- Suggest your child does something they usually enjoy, like reading their favourite book or listening to music.
- Encourage your child to come up with their own ideas for new activities. Making the most of boredom can be great for your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills.
It’s easy to use screen time as redirecting strategy. If you do this, it’s good to be clear about what you’re letting your child do. For example, be specific about what apps they can play with or what TV show they can watch, and for how long.
When not to redirect children’s behaviour
Redirecting works best when you can see that your child is about to get bored or upset or behave in a challenging way.
Redirecting won’t help if your child:
- has hurt someone
- is having a tantrum
- is very upset.
In situations like these, it’s best to deal with the behaviour directly.
For example, if your child has hurt another child, it might be tempting to distract both children with toys or activities. But this doesn’t help your child understand that it isn’t OK to hurt other people. It might be better to use quiet time or time-out, if your child is old enough to understand these consequences.
Also, trying to redirect your child’s behaviour when they’re very upset or having a tantrum might send the message that your child’s strong feelings aren’t important. Instead you can use time in to help toddlers calm down or our steps for helping older children calm down.
Redirecting can sometimes accidentally reward challenging behaviour. For example, if you offer a fun activity to distract your child every time they yell loudly, they might yell to get a fun activity. Redirecting is best used when you can see that your child is about to behave in a challenging way.