Stop Shouting!

It sometimes feels that the children are provoking you and no matter how calm you try to be, it sounds as if you are constantly shouting at them and they are shouting back at you.  Your house gets noisier and noisier.  But, you don't have to get angry or raise your voice to get children to do things.  Here are a few tips to keep the atmosphere quieter and manage your children in a very effective way!

Whisper - If you whisper, the chances are that your children will have to hush down to hear what you are saying.  If they ask you to repeat what you said, say it again just a touch louder and you may find they quieten down all by themselves.

Use your voice - the tone of voice we use can give many hints as to how we feel or what we really want to say.  If your tone goes up at the end it can sound like a question so when telling the children something or disciplining them make sure the tone of your voice drops down at the end of a sentence.

Leave the room - tell the children you are going to leave the room because they are being so loud, and invite them to come along and follow you when they can be quieter and calmer.  This is a great method to calm the noise and get them to make the decision to be quiet in order to rejoin you.

Record it - when the children are being dreadfully noisy record the racket on your phone or a camera and play it back to them to show them how noisy they are.  It can sound quite shocking!

Be calm yourself - children copy and learn from parents so if you are shouting the whole time they will think its okay to shout.  Take a deep breath or close your eyes to find some peace before correcting or disciplining them.  Try and keep it in perspective.