10 Bad Habits in Kids Which You Must Break

Some bad habits can create a bad impact on the growth and development of kids. Therefore it is essential to encourage kids to quit such bad habits as early as possible. Read about the 10 bad habits in kids and tips for encouraging kids to break such habits.Children develop bad habits at a very tender age. While some bad habits fade with time, the others remain. These bad habits hamper your child’s normal mental and physical growth. It is only a wastage of time and energy and annoying too. As a parent try to help your child get rid of these bad habits as early as possible. In this articleBiting or Chewing NailsPulling of HairExploring and Touching Private PartsSucking of ThumbNose Picking in PublicSnacking Whole DayLying Quite OftenNegative Self-CriticismDemandingUsing Bad Abusive Language Biting or Chewing NailsMany children bite their nails when they feel insecure, anxious or nervous. Gradually it becomes a habit with them.Make your kids flutter their fingers at least for 10-20 seconds, every time before they bite their nails. Pulling of HairThis habit is more commonly found in girls. It can result in hair loss. They do it quite often when they get bored. Usually children outgrow this habit. Provide your child with interesting and meaningful activities so that she or he does not get bored. Exploring and Touching Private PartsChildren love to touch and explore their body. They feel good when they touch their private parts. But it becomes quite embarrassing when they do it in public.Do not make your child feel guilty about it. Try to distract when she or he is doing it in public. Sucking of Thumb Some kids suck their thumbs when they feel sleepy or tired. It gives them a lot of comfort when they do that. It could result in soreness or infection of the thumb and dental problems. Make the child feel secure. Keep him busy. Let him play a lot. Reward him when he is not sucking his thumb. Try applying some natural juice of herbs which are bitter in taste on the thumb. They will not like the taste and stop thumb sucking. Nose Picking in Public At times you may find it so annoying if you see your child picking his nose in public and then taking out the contents and wiping it on the wall or floor. Tell your child it is a bad thing to do and teach him or her to clean his or her nose in private and dispose of the contents in a tissue paper. Snacking Whole DaySome children have the habit of munching or nibbling some thing or the other whole day. As a result of which they do not feel hungry during meal times. Untimely snacking habits can lead to obesity in children.Set proper schedule for meals. Offer him snacks that are filling and nutritious and keep him away from junk food. Lying Quite Often Children usually lie to escape from punishment. Do not scold them when they are lying. Tell them it is a wrong thing to do and praise or reward them when they speak the truth. Negative Self-CriticismSome children feel so hopeless about themselves that they always indulge in self-criticism.Do not react immediately. Give him some time. Appreciate him quite often. DemandingMost often you would find your children making demands for toys or gifts. Do not let it become a habit.Do not give in to their demands always. Learn to say ‘NO’. Using Bad Abusive LanguageChildren start using abusive or bad language when they are terribly upset about something and they also feel it is a right thing to do.You need to break this habit as early as possible. As parents avoid using bad or harsh words in front of them. Your children learn from you.If you want your children get rid of their bad habits, make sure you act to be a role model, which means you yourself do not sport any of the bad habits. Your actions matter more than your words, so prove you are the one your kids like to follow.Which bad habits in kids should be definitely broken? How to encourage kids to quit bad habits? Is it alright to reward kids for quitting bad habits? Discuss here.