Inside Voices and Running in the House

[mommyalisa]

What would be an effective way for these two "rules" to be reinforced? (Don't know if that is the right word)

Both of my boys struggle with these and it seems as I address it constantly all day.(of course McCance is 2, so I get that that is just part of being 2.)(


We have made up two poems/rhymes to help. (See below.) They've helped a bit, but I'm still frustrated about it a lot.

Walking, walking in the house.
Softly, softly like a mouse.

Speak softly. Inside voice.
Bradford (or fill in name) can make the very best choice.

[mamma2allen]

When we are at home and it is at all possible I take them outside so they can use loud voices and run.

[hey mommy]

Sounds good to me.... Though we don't have those rules, so I can't say if it would work her or not..

[mommyalisa]

We spend a decent bit of time outside most days.

the running in the house is a safety issue.

The inside voices is a mommy sanity issue.

I *think* it is just an exuberant children "thing" and it iwll take patience, but thought I'd gather other thoughts.

[AmyDoll]

I put Sam outside when he's clearly showing me that he can't use an inside voice or needs to run.

[me]

Kind of late but the subject caught my eye. We have only three rules that have worked for the last 5 years. Inside voice, walking feet, and gentleness. The same two as yours are for the exact same reason :)
With walking feet, I ask them to go back to where they started and return walking so they can practice, because they forgot :giggle Trust me, after a consistent week of that running will become a rare slip up maybe once a week or so because they were too exited. I also allow skipping and hopping though. They just cant run. So I ask them to go back and choose another way to move. Walk, hop, skip, bounce, crawl, whatever, just not run because there is no way to stop in time for a crash.

Inside voice is a little trickier. I usually take inventory of the general noise level around them at the time they are yelling. If things need to be turned down or off that's usually where i go with that. But if the house has no other noises other then them playing and they just get to excited then I ask myself if I am feeling well and maybe im overreacting. I have sensory issues. Yelling angrily at a person is corrected either way but talking excitedly in a loud voice is different. If its me, I tell them I dont feel well and if they could either play in another area or try to keep it down. If its not me, and they just keep on yelling about everything I consider things that might be overstimulating them, like what they ate and how much outside time they have had.
:)