Happy Home: 5 Steps to Creating more Calm at Home

Establishing the ground rules is always a good thing. In your home is no different.

We all thrive on consistency and routine and posting rules helps everyone know how to show up and be and that keeps your home more sane.

Three Reasons why Clear Rules that help Children Thrive:

1. Consistency - Kids pick up on patterns easily. If rules aren't stated or followed, they will quickly learn how to bend the rules. Posting the rules and consistently following them helps create positive patterns and makes doing it he right way a habit.

2. Routine - We are all creatures of habits. Establishing your rules helps the family to be creatures of good habits instead of not-so-good habits. It's easier to follow rules if they become part of the everyday routine.

3. Structure - Kids actually do better when they know what comes next and know how to be. Having rules in place helps them have structure for how to be. There will be negative influences and things outside of our control, having structure around certain things that can be controlled helps them stay calm and regulated when external things naturally crumble. They will have tools to stay calm and regulated.

Make the rules very clear so everyone is on the same page

Post the rules in a place where everyone can be on board. This helps you refer to them often. You can point to a rule and kids can see that they are being out of line and better understand why their behavior may be upsetting you.

Keep it Simple. Keep It. Easy.

The first rules I set for my family were:

1. Be Kind.

2. Be Safe.

3. Have Fun.

The rules have evolved a bit since the original. Whenever there is a negative behavior, I can turn to the rules and show how the behavior isn't in alignment with our rules.

Positive Reinforcement is best

The best way to enforce rules is to continually point out positive behavior. The moment your child does something positive, point it out. The more we point out what is good in the moment that they did it, the more they want to keep up that good work. Having the rules out helps you remember to point out the good.

Below are the rules. They evolve as children grow. You can use them, adapt them for your home as you like. You can even print the graphic at the bottom and print them out as-is!