Stop Saying "Stop!"

How many times have you told a child to stop doing something, only to watch their behavior continue or even escalate? 🤔

You tell a student to stop throwing, and they throw another block.
You tell a student to stop hitting, and they hit someone again.
You tell a student to stop yelling, and they scream even louder. 😫

Sound familiar?

When we encounter challenging behaviors, it’s natural to focus on what we don’t want the student to do: Stop yelling. Stop throwing. Stop running. But here’s the thing: that approach often isn’t the most effective.

Why? Because there are three major problems with telling students what not to do:

1️⃣ It can make the behavior more appealing. Sometimes, being told "no" makes it even more fun to keep going.
2️⃣ Students may not know how to reverse your demand. Telling a student to stop hitting doesn’t teach them how to redirect that energy into a safe behavior.
3️⃣ Students need to know what TO do, not just what NOT to do. If you tell a student to stop hitting, they might think kicking is fair game!

Let me show you how to turn those “stop” statements into actionable, positive instructions:

❌ Stop hitting → ✅ Hands to self 🤲
❌ Don’t climb → ✅ Feet on the floor 👣
❌ Stop yelling → ✅ Quiet voice 🤫

See the difference? These instructions focus on the behavior we want to see, rather than just eliminating the unwanted behavior.

This simple shift can have a profound impact on how students respond—and it helps create a more positive and supportive environment. 🌈

Here’s why this works so well:

• It gives clear, actionable steps students can follow.
• It keeps interactions calm and focused on teaching rather than correcting.
• It reduces the likelihood of escalation because students know exactly what’s expected of them.

Behavior isn’t just about stopping the "bad"—it’s about teaching the right skills. When you focus on what students should be doing, you empower them to succeed! 💡

I’d love to hear how this works for you. If you try these strategies, let me know how it transforms the way your students respond to redirection. 🙌