You could be the parent in the supermarket battling embarrassment on your child’s odd behavior- or you could be the one judging the parent there. Or you could be the kindergarten teacher who suddenly has her hands full with this little devil who trumps you in all your attempts to make him learn – Or, you could be the mother non-plussed about your child’s sudden onset of aggression and strange child behavior.

A child’s development and behavior is a combination of many things they encounter. Children often display a range of behaviors that can range from passive, shy, to uncooperative, defiant and even aggressive.

There are some obvious factors that affect child behavior – like child abuse and bullying in schools.

Related: Bullying in Schools – 10 Effective Classroom Strategies to Nip It In the Bud

However, there are few factors that do not exactly ring on top of our heads while analysing the cause for a sudden change in child behavior.

Here are a few of them:

Teachers not respected by their colleagues

Children tutored by teachers who did not feel respected by their colleagues in their working environment seemed to be passing on the negative effects of high stress and low social engagement to their children. This could be a direct result of the teachers feeling inadequate about their teaching material and supplies. This is true for children as young as first graders.

[bctt tweet=”Children tutored by teachers who do not feel valued feel the negative effects too” username=”kidskintha”]

Classroom environment

Seasonal variation, especially extreme heat and cold can lead to an increase in aggression in children. Other factors like humidity and exposure outdoor activities have a huge impact on the child’s moods. In effect, it is important to maintain moderate and stable environmental parameters as far as possible- at least indoors. (This article in TIME confirms that heat can increase aggression in adults as well- so beware of losing it and yelling at your child!)

[bctt tweet=”The external physical environment has effects on the behavior of a child” username=”@kidskintha”]

Also Read: 10 Simple Ways to Raise A Book-Lover

Physical arrangement in the classroom

A child spends almost half his waking hours in his school. It is important that he does not feel obvious discomfort in the manner of learning. The physical attributes in his learning environment- like lighting, distance from the writing boards, the spatial arrangement of his chairs so he doesn’t feel isolation or intrusion, ambient noise, etc. play a huge role in the child’s learning progress- and, in turn, his overall behavior.

[bctt tweet=”The physical arrangement in the classroom can aggregate into massive learning disruptors for a child” username=”@kidskintha”]

Uniforms

There is an ongoing debate about the pros and cons of having a uniform for school. Advocates say that uniforms remove distractions for children, thereby facilitating a better learning environment. Also, it reduces the obvious range of diversity in a classroom, which helps with countering bullying. Needless to say, it is extremely important that uniforms must be suited to the predominant climate and environment of the school to reduce the physical discomfort that obstructs learning.

[bctt tweet=”The right choice of uniform can impact the welfare of the child” username=”@kidskintha”]

Family structure

Studies show that children from stable families demonstrate improved learning capabilities and less aggressive behavior. Family structure especially parental separation is seen as having a huge impact on child learning capabilities.

When they were born

According to this article, children born in the summer months(May to August) can face behavior problems and show poor academic engagement. The simple reason is that they are highly likely to be grouped with children who may be months older than them, widening the gap in language and behavior problems in the classroom.

[bctt tweet=”When a child is born influences how they learn” username=”@kidskintha”]

Peer monitoring

A learning environment that harnesses peer monitoring has been found to have a profound effect on child behavior, especially in groups.  According to this article, this is true for reinforcing both positive and negative behaviors. Peer interventions can increase engagement and reduce the burden of the teacher as well.

[bctt tweet=”Peer monitoring is more effective than traditional teaching” username=”@kidskintha”]

 

About the Author:

Devishobha Chandramouli is the founder of Kidskintha- a site dedicated to creating happy children. She believes that growing up well and happy is a function of growing up with well-informed adults. This site aims to deliver research-grounded and bite-sized pieces of information on two important facets of a child’s life- parenting and education. You can find her voice on the Huffington Post,  Inc. Addicted2Success, TinyBuddha, Citizen Matters, Nectar and Lies About Parenting.