When you discipline your children, it can sometimes hurt. You don’t want your kid to feel bad, and you feel bad giving them punishments. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Taking a punishment or chore and making it an activity can help them focus on creating something positive.
Here are 7 creative ways to reprimand your kids.

1. Time-In

Send your child to a designated spot where they have to put together a puzzle, write all the letters of the alphabet or anything else they might be struggling with.

Redirects their energy and pushes them to do something productive. You can have a time limit or have it be as long as it takes for them to complete the task.

2. Correction Jar

Fill a jar with different consequences written on pieces of paper.

Toss a “mercy” ticket that avoids punishment to teach them to have mercy.

3. Adjusted Bedtime

Each time your child misbehaves, they must go to bed five or ten minutes earlier.

If they’re good, they can earn the right to stay up an extra few minutes each night.

4. Toy Jail

Put their favorite toy in “jail” and have them do a chore to get it back.

Have it sitting somewhere out of reach so it’s top of mind to get them to correct their behavior.

5. Cry Limits

If they have temper tantrums or cry make that their punishment.

Forcing your children to go to their room by themselves to cry or pout for 10 minutes straight isn’t fun when your parents tell you to do it.

6. Diligence Job

If they’re slacking off or not thorough enough repeat the steps over and over again.

If they’re forced to sweep the floor three or four times in a row because they didn’t do it right the first time, they’ll learn.

7. I’m Sorry

If your kids are reckless or clumsy whenever they knock anything down have them apologize to each piece that drops.

If they knock over a container of beads, have them pick each bead up one by one and apologize to them individually before putting it away.