Does your child write on or scratch up the walls in your home or in his/her classroom?
In today’s Teacher Tips newsletter, learn about various replacement behaviors you can teach your child to prevent him/her writing or drawing on walls.
- Create or buy a dry erase board with compatible markers and keep it in a spot where your child often draws or plays in your home or in school. You may also like to make a bin with drawing/writing tools and paper.
- Prepare a simple behavior story about writing on a dry erase board or paper instead of the wall and read this story with your child every day (even a few times per day).
- Create note cards that say “No drawing on walls – draw on your board” and tape them up on the walls in the rooms where your child likes to draw.
- Show your child the dry erase board and encourage him/her to draw on it. Praise him/her when they are using the dry erase board to reinforce that this is a positive behavior.
- Show your child the drawing bin you made and where it will be when he/she wants to draw. Praise your child when he/she uses the drawing bin instead of coloring on the walls.
- Try to interrupt your child and redirect him/her to the dry erase board if you catch them making a move to draw on the walls. If your child does draw on the wall, hand him/her the note card that says “no drawing on the walls – draw on your board” and show him/her over to the dry erase board without any other talking. Once he/she begins to draw on the dry erase board, give your child positive attention and reinforcement for drawing in the correct place.
Learn more about replacing drawing on the walls with appropriate behaviors with your child with special needs in the YouTube video below or in the corresponding special education resource page. For more special education resources, visit Watson Life Resources.