Effective Parenting with Positive Strategies

Highlights

• The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) is a parenting education and support program.
• Triple P is for parents and carers of children aged up to 16 years.
• It offers free courses for parents.

In This Article

• What is the Positive Parenting Program?
• Who is the Positive Parenting Program for?
• What are the key steps to positive parenting?
• Taking care of yourself
• Asking for help
• Tools and Assistance

What is the Positive Parenting Program?

The Positive Parenting Program, also known as Triple P, is a parenting education and support program. It was first developed at a university research center focused on parenting and family support.

The Triple P program aims to help parents and carers:

• Raise happy, confident, capable children
• Have close, loving relationships with their children
• Encourage positive child behavior
• Prevent and manage child misbehavior effectively
• Feel that they can handle various parenting situations

Triple P has worked with thousands of families. There is evidence to show that their programs are effective.

Who is the Positive Parenting Program for?

The Positive Parenting Program is for parents and carers of children aged up to 16 years. Triple P offers free courses to support parents.

The programs are designed for a wide variety of parents and carers, including those with children who have:

• Different needs
• Diverse socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds

What are the key steps to positive parenting?

Triple P offers help with five key principles of positive parenting:

Creating a safe, interesting environment

You can take care to keep your child’s environment safe by:

• Putting dangerous objects such as knives and medicines out of a young child’s reach
• Using age-appropriate safe seats in the car
• Having child-proof locks around pools

An ‘interesting’ environment for a child doesn’t require expensive toys. You can encourage imaginative play by providing equipment to keep children active and creative, such as:

• Dress-up clothes
• Boxes for making cubby houses
• Craft materials, including pencils and playdough

Busy children are less likely to become bored and misbehave.

Providing positive feedback

All children need their parents’ attention — a little positive attention can go a long way.

Pay attention to what your child is doing and give specific positive feedback, such as:

• “You worked at that puzzle for ages — I’m proud that you stuck to it.”

Children need kindness and affection, too. A quick cuddle or saying “I love you” makes them feel wanted, included, and secure.

Learning to use assertive discipline

It’s important to set clear rules and boundaries because children do best in a stable, predictable environment.

Assertive discipline means:

• Setting ground rules
• Following through with an age-appropriate consequence if rules are broken (such as taking away a toy for a few minutes)

It may also mean ignoring minor misbehaviors and praising children when they do the right thing. Show that you’re happy and praise them when they are kind, fair, and helpful.

Being realistic

Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Tailor what you expect to your child’s developmental level and capacity.

Try to put yourself in a three-year-old’s shoes. And remember, everyone has bad days but learns through experience.

Taking care of yourself

Being a parent can be very demanding. You need time for yourself so you can stay refreshed and calm. This may mean:

• Spending time with other adults
• Taking time alone
• Doing something you enjoy

If you have a partner, working as a team can make parenting easier. If not, finding support through friends, family, or community networks can help.

Asking for help

When you feel emotionally overwhelmed, ask for help. You may want to reach out to:

• Your partner
• Friends
• Family
• Local parent support groups

Talking over problems with a more experienced parent can make your own views clearer and show a way forward.

Involving children in reasonable chores helps get things done and makes them feel useful and responsible.

Building friendships outside the family and connecting with the community can also broaden your support network.

Tools and Assistance

You can talk to a healthcare professional about where to get parenting help and support.

Triple P runs courses online and through local organizations. Contact Triple P for more information.

You can also visit parenting support organizations for additional guidance.