“Don’t” isn’t a word that children understand.
When you tell a child, “Don’t touch the stove.”, all they hear is, “Touch the stove.”
It is better to say what you want them to do such as: “Stand back! It is hot.” or “Stop! The stove is hot”. This is hard to do, but instructions or rules given in a positive manner, always works best.
Examples:
“Keep your hands to yourself.”
“Keep all four legs of your chair on the floor.”
Good luck on making directions more positive!
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