Articles – Positive Discipline

Class Meetings

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:44:26 +0000

Class meetings invite students to learn by doing. They provide the practice arena for all of the skills necessary to grow citizens who are responsible, respectful and resourceful members of the community. The Positive Discipline vision is about schools where children never experience humiliation when they fail but instead feel empowered by the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a…

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Family Meetings

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:33:00 +0000

by Dr. Jane Nelsen It is difficult for me to choose a favorite Positive Discipline parenting tool, but family meetings are at the top. Children learn so much during family meetings, such as listening, respecting differences, verbalizing appreciation, problem-solving, focusing on solutions, and experiencing that mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn. I have a much longer…

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52 Positive Discipline Parenting Tools in 52 Weeks

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Take the 52 Parenting Tools in 52 Weeks Challenge. This is a fun way to stay focused on Positive Discipline all year long. We hope you will participate and post comments about your own experiences. It is helpful to get a copy of the Positive Discipline Parenting Tool Cards. You may also want to read a Positive Discipline Book during the year. The great thing about this challenge is that…

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Positive Discipline Conference and Think Tank

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:42:03 +0000

The Positive Discipline Annual Conference features presentations for educators, clinicians, and parents. Spend the day developing Positive Discipline tools for home and school, or to support others through your coaching, consulting, or counseling practice. Positive Discipline Conference — June 26th, 2026 – Coral Springs, FL (Open to the Public) If any of you feel…

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7 Ways Busy Parents Can Help Their Children Feel Special

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 20:25:09 +0000

by Dr. Jane Nelsen Do you ever wonder, “Will my children suffer because they have a working parent? Will they be deprived?” The answer: That depends on what you believe and what you do. Many happy, successful people have been raised by working parents. It is not the circumstance of life, but how we perceive those circumstances and what we do that has the greatest impact.

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Problem Solving

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 01:12:00 +0000

by Jane Nelsen We can use daily challenges as opportunities to practice problem solving WITH our children. Children are great problem solvers when we give them the opportunity to brainstorm and come up with solutions. What a great life skill—to teach kids to focus on solutions when there is a problem. One summer we went backpacking with several friends. Our ten-year-old son, Mark…

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HOW IS POSITIVE DISCIPLINE DIFFERENT?

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Sat, 30 Aug 2025 17:04:12 +0000

Excerpt from Positive Discipline Parenting Tools Book by Jane Nelsen, Mary Nelsen Tamborski, and Brad Ainge The majority of discipline models practiced in homes and schools today are based on punishments and rewards. Positive Discipline is based on the Adlerian model of eliminating all punishment and rewards in favor of encouragement that addresses the basic needs of children to belong and…

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Compliments Create a Positive Atmosphere in Homes and Classrooms

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 21:24:00 +0000

by Jane Nelsen Compliments and appreciations bring us closer together. Finding ways to compliment your children can be a very valuable parenting tool. So often we are focused on what our children have done wrong. This week focus on what your children have done right and give them an appropriate compliment. “I appreciate how quickly you get dressed and ready for school.” “I notice how kindly…

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Children DO Better When They FEEL Better

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:49:00 +0000

An excerpt from the book Positive Discipline by Dr. Jane Nelsen. Where did we ever get the crazy idea that to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better? Take time to close your eyes and remember a recent time (or a time during your childhood) when…

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7 Tips for a Happy, Successful School Year

Dr. Jane Nelsen — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

by Mike Brock For many children and their parents, returning to school is a joyful occasion—reconnecting with school friends and families, the excitement of purchasing school supplies and new clothes, the return to the comfort and normalcy of the school routine, and, of course, the gift of a little breathing space for Mom and Dad. But for many other children…

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