In this Yale lecture from Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing, Dr. Alan Kazdin explains shaping, a technique for encouraging new or improved behaviors in children by rewarding small, achievable steps toward a larger goal rather than waiting for the finished behavior to appear. Kazdin describes how starting with easy, attainable steps and gradually raising expectations helps children build skills and confidence without frustration. The lecture offers concrete guidance parents can apply to everyday challenges, from chores to social behaviors, illustrating the principle with accessible examples. It continues the course's behavioral-science approach to parenting, building on the earlier lesson on antecedents by adding a second core tool for shaping a child's behavior over time.