Alternative punishments to grounding your kids

Grounding the kids for misbehaving may have been a popular punishment when children spent most of their time playing outdoors, but these days you might want to rethink your disciplinary strategies. With kids glued to TV screens, video games and mobile devices, your last thought should be taking away time that could be spent on outdoor play and exercise. Here are a few alternative punishments that will keep your kids moving.

Doing household chores
Nothing straightens out bad behavior like a day of hard work, so consider making your kids tackle a variety of household chores as punishment. A weekend spent mowing the lawn, cleaning out the basement, washing dishes and doing the laundry will give them plenty of time to reflect on their actions.

Taking away electronics
The idea behind being grounded is that kids can't do something they really enjoy. Considering all the time your little ones likely spend using electronics, a beneficial punishment can be taking away these devices for an extended time. A week without TV, the internet or their cell phones is sure to send a message.

Signing up for volunteer work
Similar to sentencing them to community service, requiring that your kids do some volunteer work can be a constructive way to modify bad behavior. While not necessary for minor infractions, more serious violations of household rules can be remedied with a month of working at a local soup kitchen or cleaning up local parks on the weekends.