Recently many childcare providers, teachers and parents have been using the phrase "No Thank You" when a child is engaging in an undesirable behavior. This sometimes works to stop the child from doing what you do not want them to do, however it provides no information or context for what behaviors you ARE looking for.
As an example, if a child is splashing water vigorously in the water table and you would like them to splash in a calmer way, it is far more effective and instructive to say "Make little splashes" or "Keep your hands calm" rather than "No Thank You". By telling the child the behavior you WANT them to engage in you are giving them information they can take action on.
Another example is if a child is being aggressive and you would like the child to move away from the situation. By saying "No Thank You", you are giving the child the message that an alternative would be "Yes Thank You" if you wanted to be hit. Difficult for children to sort out what the true message is. A better option would be "Put your hands down" or "Take a deep breath" or "Sit in the chair", then when the child is calm, addressing the issue.
It is a hard habit to break ,but one that is important for children to learn the behaviors we WANT to see!
And save the "No Thank You" for when someone offers you more cookies and you are full!
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