What Is Conscious Discipline and How to Use It in Early Childhood Classrooms

Positive guidance is more than a classroom management strategy. It’s a research-based approach to behavior management in early childhood that helps children build social-emotional skills, self-regulation, and healthy relationships.

Traditional discipline methods often rely on punishment, leaving young children feeling stressed, hurt, and angry. When children experience strong stress responses, they can struggle to access the brain systems needed for learning, emotional regulation, and social problem-solving. The result can be more behavioral challenges and fewer opportunities for meaningful learning. [8] 

Conscious Discipline offers a different path. This brain-based approach is currently used in 47 countries and approximately 11,000 Head Start classrooms across the United States. Rather than focusing on what children shouldn’t do, it teaches children the skills they need to regulate emotions, solve problems, and build positive relationships. [2] 

This guide walks you through the basics of Conscious Discipline, practical Conscious Discipline strategies, implementation steps, and how it compares to other approaches like PBIS. Whether you’re new to positive guidance or looking to strengthen your current practices, you’ll find practical techniques you can use right away. 

What Is Conscious Discipline? 

Conscious Discipline is a brain-based, adult-first approach to positive guidance that helps early childhood programs create emotionally safe, regulated environments where children can learn and thrive. Instead of controlling behavior through rewards or punishments, Conscious Discipline builds self-regulation skills through connection, clear boundaries, and adult leadership. [6] 

The methodology centers on a guiding principle from Dr. Becky Bailey, the creator of Conscious Discipline: “Discipline is not something you do to children but something you develop within them.” Instead of controlling behavior from the outside, Conscious Discipline focuses on building internal self-regulation and personal responsibility over time. [4] 

The approach works as a complete system for building self-regulation and connection, rooted in neuroscience and trauma-responsive practice. It starts with adult self-regulation, recognizing that children need conscious, mindful adults to feel safe. [6][12] 

The Story Behind the Method 

Dr. Becky Bailey created Conscious Discipline in 1996 alongside co-founder Kate O’Neil. An award-winning author and expert in childhood education, developmental psychology, and trauma-responsive practices, Dr. Bailey has reached millions of children and inspired millions of educators and caregivers worldwide. [4] 

Her work helped shift education away from control-based strategies and toward skill-building, including self-regulation and conflict resolution. The program has since expanded globally. [4][6] 

A Different Way to Think About Discipline 

Traditional discipline methods often rely on punishments that create fear of mistakes, depend on adult judgment, and motivate children through avoiding discomfort. These approaches tell children what not to do. Conscious Discipline takes the opposite approach by using consequences that teach problem-solving, treating mistakes as learning opportunities, and focusing on what to do instead. [6][7] 

The Conscious Discipline Brain State Model Explained 

The Brain State Model offers a simple way to understand the internal brain-body states that drive behavior in children and adults. It highlights three levels of need: safety, connection, and problem-solving. [8] 

Survival State asks “Am I safe?” and can show up as fight, flight, or freeze responses. Emotional State asks “Am I loved?” and can show up as arguing, shaming, or verbal outbursts. Executive State asks “What can I learn from this?” and is the state where children access higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills. [8] 

When children experience chronic stress, their brains can prioritize safety and connection, making it harder to reach the executive state where learning and regulation skills are more accessible. [8] 

The Research Behind Conscious Discipline 

Child Trends has served as a strategic planning and research partner to Conscious Discipline since 2017. Conscious Discipline has been evaluated as a social-emotional learning (SEL) approach, including outcomes tied to classroom climate, teacher practices, and child self-regulation. [10][11] 

Research also suggests that when teachers implement the model with stronger consistency and fidelity, classroom quality improves and children demonstrate stronger executive function skills. [11] 

Conscious Discipline Strategies: The Seven Core Skills 

The seven skills of Conscious Discipline turn challenging classroom moments into teachable moments. Instead of just managing behavior, you’re building social-emotional and communication skills children need for self-management, conflict resolution, and positive relationships. [12] 

1. Composure: Your Foundation for Everything Else 

Adult composure is foundational because it models self-regulation for children. Techniques like taking three deep breaths and using simple affirmations can help adults interrupt stress responses and respond more intentionally. [12] 

2. Encouragement: Building Kids Who Believe in Themselves 

Encouragement supports motivation differently than generic praise. Research on mindset and motivation suggests children encouraged for effort are more likely to persist through challenges than children praised for fixed traits. [15][16] 

Instead of “good job,” name what you noticed: “You kept trying even when that puzzle was tricky.” This helps children evaluate their own work and build intrinsic motivation over time. [15][16] 

3. Assertiveness: Clear Expectations Without Power Struggles 

Assertiveness uses clear, specific directions that tell children what to do. This reduces confusion that often leads to power struggles, and it can increase a sense of safety through predictable boundaries. [17][6] 

4. Choices: Giving Kids Power Within Limits 

Meaningful choices give children agency within adult-set boundaries, which can reduce resistance and strengthen decision-making. The key is offering two options that both work for you, before a child escalates. [19][6] 

5. Empathy: Teaching Children to Understand Hearts 

Empathy helps children recognize and name feelings, connect with others, and build emotional awareness. Modeling empathy and teaching coping strategies can support emotional growth and classroom learning. [21] 

6. Positive Intent: Seeing Behavior Differently 

Positive Intent reframes challenging behavior as communication. Instead of asking “How do I stop this?” you ask “What does this child need, and what skill do they lack right now?” This shift helps adults respond with teaching and connection. [6] 

7. Consequences: Learning Opportunities, Not Punishments 

Natural consequences happen without adult intervention. Logical consequences require adult involvement and should connect directly to the behavior. Both are most effective when they teach cause and effect while maintaining connection and respect. [24][7] 

The Seven Powers are mindset shifts that support the Seven Skills by helping adults respond from calm and clarity rather than reactivity. [25] 

1. Power of Perception 

Power of Perception emphasizes that interpretation shapes emotional response. Seeing a moment as a skills gap, not a personal attack, helps adults stay regulated and ready to teach. [26] 

A simple reset can help: 

1. Notice your body’s warning signs (tight throat, chest tension). 
2. Take three deep breaths with an affirmation like “I’m safe. I can handle this.” 
3. Ask: “What skill does this child need?” 
4. Respond with helpfulness rather than hurt. 

2. Power of Attention and Unity 

Power of Attention highlights that what adults focus on tends to grow. Young children can struggle to process negative instructions, so it’s often more effective to pivot to what to do instead (for example, “Use walking feet”). Power of Unity reinforces how adult emotional state influences children in relationship-based settings. [27][4] 

3. Power of Free Will and Love 

Power of Free Will reminds adults they can only control their own actions. Power of Love emphasizes choosing to see the best in children, especially during challenging moments, so guidance stays rooted in connection rather than shame. [29][30] 

4. Power of Acceptance and Intention 

Acceptance means acknowledging what is happening so you can respond effectively. Intention means entering moments with the goal to teach rather than punish, which can change how children respond and reflect. [31][32] 

4. Classroom Structures and Safe Spaces 

The Safe Place is a learning center where children can shift from upset to calm. It’s not a time-out space, it’s a coached space for self-regulation. [33] 

The five steps children learn are: 

• I Am (recognize they’re upset) 
• I Calm (use breathing to settle) 
• I Feel (identify emotions with supports like Feeling Buddies) 
• I Choose (select calming activities) 
• I Solve (address the original problem) 

Adults coach children through the steps while practicing their own composure. [33][34] 

5. Language Patterns for Positive Guidance 

Language shapes classroom climate. Clear, direct, respectful language helps children understand expectations and feel emotionally safe. A helpful rule is to tell children what to do, not only what not to do, and to notice specific positive behaviors you want to see again. [1][35][36] 

6. Conflict Resolution Strategies for Preschool and Early Childhood 

When conflicts arise, a simple three-step process can support regulation and learning: describe what happened, acknowledge feelings, then guide children toward cause-and-effect thinking and appropriate solutions. [37] 

7. Breathing and Self-Regulation Techniques for Young Children 

Deep breathing can help children shift out of stress response by signaling safety to the body and brain. Simple options include Square Breathing, Mountain Breathing, and S.T.A.R. breathing. [38][39][41] 

What You Can Expect: Benefits, Challenges, and Real-World Implementation 

 Research and program evaluations on Conscious Discipline report improvements tied to self-regulation, classroom climate, and social-emotional learning when implementation is consistent and supported. [11][40] 

How Teachers and Classrooms Benefit 

Some studies and evaluations also report improvements in classroom culture, adult practices, and reductions in certain disciplinary incidents after implementation. Outcomes vary by setting, training, and fidelity of use. [11][40] 

Getting Started: Training and Timeline 

Implementation often starts with adult self-regulation training, then expands into consistent classroom structures, routines, and coaching support. Programs often see stronger results when they build an internal action team and create shared language across staff. [42][43] 

Training options may include onsite sessions, e-learning, and intensive institutes. [5][13] 

Common Challenges (And How to Address Them) 

Common challenges include adapting strategies to different classroom needs, adjusting routines, and addressing skepticism. Starting small, using shared learning, and adding coaching support can help. [42][46][47] 

Building School-Wide Buy-In 

School-wide buy-in tends to grow through shared exposure, leadership modeling, and sustained support over time (for example, book studies and coaching). [42][43] 

Conscious Discipline vs PBIS: What’s the Difference? 

PBIS is an evidence-based, tiered framework that teaches and reinforces expected behaviors through universal supports, targeted interventions, and individualized supports. Conscious Discipline is an adult-first, relationship-based approach that emphasizes safety, connection, and self-regulation. Some programs choose one approach or blend compatible elements. [48][49] 

Conscious Discipline Alternatives for Behavior Management in Early Childhood 

Other positive guidance frameworks may include Responsive Classroom, Tools of the Mind, and HighScope. Programs sometimes blend strategies across approaches when they align and reinforce similar goals. [50][55][56][57] 

Responsive Classroom Approach 

Responsive Classroom focuses on building classroom community through routines and practices such as Morning Meeting and shared rule-setting. [50][51][52] 

Tools of the Mind 

Tools of the Mind includes structured play and scaffolding intended to support executive function and self-regulation skills. Research findings vary across outcomes, but many educators value the practical classroom strategies. [53][54][55] 

HighScope Curriculum Integration 

HighScope emphasizes active learning and a plan-do-review cycle that supports decision-making, follow-through, and reflection. [56] 

Mixing and Matching Approaches 

When blending approaches, choose strategies that reinforce each other rather than compete. The goal stays the same: supporting social-emotional skills and healthy behavior development. [57] 

How Procare Supports Positive Guidance in Early Childhood Programs 

Positive guidance works best when adults stay consistent across the day, across classrooms, and across home and school. Procare supports early childhood programs by helping teams streamline communication and daily operations, so educators can spend more time on relationship-based behavior guidance and less time on administrative tasks. 

When families and staff share routines and expectations, children often feel safer, transitions can go more smoothly, and self-regulation skills have more chances to develop through practice. Program tools that support communication, scheduling, and daily workflows can reinforce positive guidance strategies and help teams stay aligned. 

Moving Forward with Positive Guidance 

Conscious Discipline shifts behavior management from “How do I control this child?” to “What skills does this child need?” That change in perspective can open up more effective options for teachers and parents. 

You don’t have to overhaul your entire classroom management system at once. Start with one or two strategies that feel natural, practice consistently, and build from there as your confidence grows. 

Whether you choose Conscious Discipline as your primary approach or blend it with alternatives like PBIS or Responsive Classroom, the goal remains the same: creating classrooms where children feel safe enough to learn, grow, and develop the self-regulation skills they’ll use throughout their lives. 

Ready to get started? Pick one strategy from this guide and try it tomorrow. Your future self, and your students, will thank you. 

Conscious Discipline FAQs

References 

[1] https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/feb2020/using-guidance-not-discipline 

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885200619301115 

[3] https://consciousdiscipline.com/ 

[4] https://consciousdiscipline.com/about/becky-bailey/ 

[5] https://consciousdiscipline.com/about/ 

[6] https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/ 

[7] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/why-conscious-discipline-consequences-work/ 

[8] https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/brain-state-model/ 

[9] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/the-basics-of-the-conscious-discipline-brain-state-model/ 

[10] https://www.childtrends.org/project/conscious-discipline-social-emotional-learning-program-research-support 

[11] https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/research/ 

[12] https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/seven-skills/ 

[13] https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/handling-upset-the-adult-first-mindset-shift/ 

[14] https://consciousdiscipline.com/memberships/free-resources/discipline-tips/ 

[15] https://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/encouragement-vs-praise/ 

[16] https://www.janetlansbury.com/2024/03/praise-that-encourages-intrinsic-motivation/ 

[17] https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/webinars/reclaim-your-power-with-assertiveness/ 

[18] https://www.grangeprimaryacademy.org.uk/Portals/0/adam/Content/d-2XBQ8OnkuQ9ATyxpGesg/Link/PDF%20Assertiveness%20Brochure.pdf 

[19] https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/the-power-of-choices-for-children 

[20] https://teachingstrategies.com/webinar/empowering-childrens-decision-making/ 

[21] https://www.sivconsultation.com/blog/nurturing-emotional-intelligence-in-children-empathy-boundaries-and-communication 

[22] https://www.theoriatechnical.com/post/nurturing-empathy-cultivating-emotional-intelligence-in-young-minds 

[23] https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/reframing_challenging_behavior 

[24] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202408/how-to-teach-a-child-that-actions-have-consequences 

[25] https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/seven-powers/ 

[26] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-perception/ 

[27] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-attention/ 

[28] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-unity/ 

[29] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-free-will/ 

[30] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-love/ 

[31] https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/webinars/power-of-acceptance/ 

[32] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/seven-powers-power-of-intention/ 

[33] https://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/creating-a-safe-place-teaching-self-regulation-understanding-feeling-buddies/ 

[34] https://consciousdiscipline.com/memberships/free-resources/shubert/shuberts-classroom/safe-place/ 

[35] https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/want-positive-behavior-use-positive-language/ 

[36] https://teachingstrategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Article_Using-Positive-Guidance_English.pdf 

[37] https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/fall2023/three-step-approach 

[38] https://www.childrenscolorado.org/just-ask-childrens/articles/breathing-exercises-and-mood-regulation/ 

[39] https://www.motherduck.com.au/breathing-exercises-to-support-children-self-regulation/ 

[40] https://consciousdiscipline.com/blog/examining-the-impact-of-conscious-discipline-on-social-emotional-behaviors-in-early-childhood-programs/ 

[41] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9053331/ 

[42] https://consciousdiscipline.s3.amazonaws.com/Free-Resources/Implementation-Staff-Development/FREE_Implemenation-Framework.pdf 

[43] https://consciousdiscipline.com/professional-development/coaching/ 

[44] https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/what-conscious-discipline 

[45] https://www.ziprecruiter.com/e/What-are-some-common-challenges-faced-by-professionals-implementing-Conscious-Discipline-in-educational-settings 

[46] https://consciousdiscipline.com/videos/conversations-with-a-conscious-discipline-skeptic-part-1-resistance/ 

[47] https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/podcasts/podcast-episode002/ 

[48] https://www.pbis.org/pbis/what-is-pbis 

[49] https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/positive-behavioral-interventions-and-supports 

[50] https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/ 

[51] https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/primary-practices/ 

[52] https://friendzy.co/resources/responsive-classroom 

[53] https://www.toolsofthemind.org/ 

[54] https://www.toolsofthemind.org/our-unique-approach 

[55] https://www.campbellcollaboration.org/review/tools-of-the-mind-curriculum-self-regulation-early-childhood/ 

[56] https://highscope.org/what-we-offer/the-highscope-curriculum/preschool-curriculum/ 

[57] https://study.com/academy/lesson/hybrid-approaches-to-classroom-management.html