Play Nicely: The Healthy Discipline Handbook

Assume you see one young child hit another. What are you going to do?

Play Nicely: The Healthy Discipline Handbook offers 20 ways to answer this question. Even if you only have a few minutes, go to the “20 options” tab and review the discipline strategies that most interest you. You will quickly learn ideas you can use with children under your care at home or in school.

Developed at Vanderbilt University, the program teaches discipline strategies to use with children ages one through seven. The handbook is a culmination of knowledge gathered from testing the Play Nicely program over 15 years. The program efficiently and effectively builds skills for parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals.

Play Nicely: The Healthy Discipline Handbook is based on the Play Nicely multimedia program. The 38-page handbook, written at the eighth-grade level, is made of durable, high-quality paper with tabs.

Who can use the handbook? 

• Parents and others who care for children aged one to 10 years.
• Healthcare professionals. The handbook can be introduced to parents in one minute and has been demonstrated to affect parenting at home. Download the research abstract below.  
• Early care and school professionals. In preschools, primary schools, and other early education settings, this handbook is an excellent resource for teachers and parents.  In high school, the handbook can provide health education to students before they become parents.   
• Counselors. Use this handbook as a resource for parents in your practice.
• Researchers. The handbook is an ideal, low-cost intervention for population-based studies.