How to discipline your kid with a simple Vision Board
It feels like ages that you realized your kids got into the defiance mode when you were just thinking how adorable their little voices are turning. And oh, it’s always a delight to see how industriously they pick your habits as their first life lessons. But hey! Having said that, you don’t roll on the floors of the supermarket at the billing counter for candies. Nor do you pull somebody by his dress to say that you’re not sleepy enough for bedtime. Or do you get bashed for not completing the food off your plate? Even worse, do you torment your bed partner to scratch your back to sleep & half hour later, get up & demand food? Well, if all of this sounds like your kid, here is a great solution – A VISION BOARD.
I know you’re already thinking that this post may resonate better with kids of age 8+. But NO. My daughter will shortly turn 5 & the vision board has been the best idea I’ve conceived for her discipline so far.
It’s been more than a month that I’ve been using this aid to get her do the right things at the right time & avoid all the nasty stuff & tantrums. And I can safely say that meltdowns have reduced at home to a dramatic extent. She sticks to her daily ‘tasks’ & sees all checks in the list as her achievement for the day. Coming to her reading abilities, she’s just reading new words now & isn’t really conversant with full-fledged sentences. So, I only use the key words & I’m glad that she’s learning to write many of them on her own as she’s reading them every day on her checklist.
What do you need for a VISION BOARD?
- A White Board
- Markers & Duster
So, you see that it’s a totally uncomplicated set-up. I like to keep things as simple as possible. By the way, I AM a fan of fancy DIY stuff, but it does get a bit hard for me to fit in time for those nowadays. Though I’m happy that I always make myself available to help my kid with her craft assignments.
Coming to the vision board, there are 4 things you can achieve with it for your child (younger than 5):
- Teaching him/her the basics of goal-setting at a very young age.
- Getting them to learn discipline & organization intuitively.
- Catalyzing the reading/writing interest (apart from story books).
- Full harmony with him/her (Phew!)
The typical VISION BOARD for my daughter looks like this:
I know, it’s as simple as THAT for her age! Isn’t it?
And so far, these have been the perks of hosting this vision board for my daughter every day at home:
- She loves all checks in the boxes by the end of the day,
- So she adheres to all the ‘tasks’ to get them.
- She’s learning to appreciate the time-sensitivity of important things.
- She ticks the boxes with conviction. If she hasn’t done something, it’s a CROSS no matter what.
- She’s loving to read & write more by learning new words & remembering how to spell them right!
Now, isn’t that a thing of paramount essence to you as a parent?
By the way, there are times when she’s tempted to erase a boring or tiring task from the checklist & plans to mutiny with a frown & the duster in her hand. But when you invest some time & patience in inculcating discipline in your young kid, it starts showing. And that’s exactly when he/she starts hearing her inner conscience that he/she is developing at a rather rapid pace at this age. So, most of the time, it’s the temptation that loses the battle that you & your child have been waging every day.
And for the weekends, there are 2 extra items on the list! To be well-behaved outside & no crying/nagging about useless things to buy (instead request politely). 🙂
Amidst all the nuances of building discipline with your children, you must first acknowledge their temperament & then condition them into taking to a vision board habit positively. They may not subscribe to your idea of having an apparently over-bearing checklist ahead of them every day. But with patience, talk & negotiating over their favorite ideas of decorating/creating their own vision board, it’s likely to work out soon.
How do you see the idea of planning a vision board for your kid as part of disciplining technique? Do you already have something of this sort? I’d love to know your views in the comments.
tysm for these useful kids post 🙂
I’ve noticed my kids are so much better engaged with a task list. I’ve just found it tough to keep up on it every day. I wonder if creating a laminated one or a white board with vinyl letters would work for me. Then they could still use the marker to check it off every day.
That’ll make a fantastic idea, Bri! Indeed a more fun way to the discipline game.
This is indeed very innovative idea to help kids in practicing discipline. Loved this post!
I read and re read this post. You are doing a great job both as a parent and as a writer. My son is 2.9 yrs old. I keep telling him what’s the day going to be like and I’ve plans of putting a daily activity scheduler once he starts reading. It helps us both in terms of expectations. Thank you for a brilliant post again.
A novel idea but quite sad that a little 5 year old has to do homework.
Thank you, Suzy.
AW, but things are changing for the good now. I see that her homework is all about drawing, matching, coloring, collage & pasting. And when there’s a bit of writing for the weekend, she frowns a little. 🙂 I remember how boring my homework used to be.
This is a FABULOUS idea, Ashwini. Starting them young on vision boards not only will help the kids on the discipline front but also on goal setting, target achievement and motivation. And this is something that will stay with them for life and will be a part of their every day life forever. You are doing great with your kid with the vision board.
Yes, Shilpa. Habit building should start early. Some of it I’ve learnt the hard way for myself.
Thank you so much dear.
we love Vision Boards. It helped me a lot while raising my son who was very naughty and hyperactive duirng earlier days.
With my son, I used to give him a sticker when he successfully completes a task. He loved the idea of getting those stickers. Now that he is 8, I don’t use stickers as the reward instead he suggests what he would like to do once he finishes his list of tasks for the day. Vision board is a nice initiative to get those things done without resorting to yelling and screaming. 🙂
Hey buddy, being grateful as you posted such a useful and informative post with so many parenting tips. This gonna help many parents out there 🙂 I would like to save it. Thanks a lot for sharing your great thoughts. Looking forward to more from you