How to Secretly Teach the Behavior You Want

Teaching kids behavior can come in many forms. You can teach directly with verbal instructions. Training before the moment is another great option. Sometimes we find ourselves needing to redirect and teach through correction. Today I want to share how to secretly teach the behavior you want. It’s important to be intentional and sometimes switch up your methods for greater success, so this is one way to trick kids into learning your expectations.

How to Secretly Get the Behavior You Want

Children learn through play. We do a lot of role playing in our home. You have seen it a lot in my character development series. Playing house with kids is a reminder of the importance and value of modeling the behavior you want through everyday play, but it doesn’t have to stop at playing house.

How to Secretly Teach the Behavior You Want

When playing house with my kids, I often make one of them the mom. I become the child. Some of the phrases you hear me saying in play included:

“How can I help you, Mom?”
“I can do that for you.
“Oh, I got all the baby stuff out. I’ll put it away.”
“Look! I learned how to look through the baby drawer without taking all the stuff out and throwing it on the ground. I found what I was looking for too.”
“Yes, Mommy.” (One of the phrases I work hard to help my kids learn. Here’s a fun way to teach obedience with this phrase.)
“What’s next Mommy?“

I also chalk the conversations full of our polite words: thank you, please, excuse me and sorry.

In these little moments, kids can be taught without you giving direct instruction through too many words. We all know that modeling the behavior you want is important. However, when you integrate it with play, it feels fun and can be super impactful.

It’s the perfect combination for kids and where they are at developmentally. Take the time to play and utilize those moments to your advantage. I know that life as a mom of littles gets really busy. It’s sometimes hard to slow down and be present and thoughtful in your interactions. Whether you are playing dolls, super heroes, house, or cars, there is always room for intentional teaching in the words use chose while you play.