Children and Discipline:

After much reading and research, the following is the preferred method of parenting and dealing with behavioral issues (I use she but replace with he as needed):

Learning self-discipline
Learning self-discipline and respect for others is an absolutely vital part of growing up. Children need adults to be firm, clear and calm with them so they learn right from wrong and how to get along with others.It's important to set an example to your child. If she sees you shouting, losing control or lashing out she's more likely to do the same. Children learn by copying adults.

Communication
Communication is a huge part of good discipline. Right from the start it's important to talk with your child and to listen to her, too. Make sure she understands what sort of behavior you want from her and praise her whenever she does something well.
Children often find it hard to explain their feelings and may behave badly because they are upset or angry. If something goes wrong, encourage your child to talk about how it felt "you must have felt mad when Sam interrupted " and help her to deal with those feelings so she can handle the situation better next time.

Attention-seeking and positive discipline
Attention-seeking is often a cause of bad behavior. Children, especially when they are young, will do almost anything to get your attention and it can be maddening.
Positive discipline can work at home as well as at school. When it's safe to do so, ignore tantrums, whining and other attention-seeking behavior. Instead, encourage and reward good behavior with lots of attention.
Do be specific when you praise your child, too: describe what she did so she knows exactly what was so good. 'You're a good girl for helping your brother off with his coat without being asked' is clearer than 'Good girl for being so helpful'.

Sticker charts
You may find it helpful to try other positive discipline techniques, too. Using a sticker chart and be effective.
Make a chart which divides each day into manageable chunks. Award a sticker for each part of the day when your child behaves well. Give lots of praise and encourage her to keep going, especially if bad behaviour starts to appear.
A full day needs to be celebrated with lots of praise. A set number of stickers can lead to a small reward, such as a favorite film or a trip. The set number might range from two days to a week, depending on your child's needs. Make sure she is absolutely clear about the time frame. If rewards seem too far away the whole thing can feel impossible, but too many rewards can devalue the idea.

Sanctions or punishments
If you do need to use sanctions, they don't need to be severe. They just need to be explained in advance and to be consistent. So, if your child keeps doing something, tell her what she's doing wrong and explain what will happen if she carries on.
If she does carry on, make sure you follow through with exactly what you said you'd do, calmly explaining as you go why you're doing it. Do stay as calm and quiet as possible.
'Time out' can work well at home as well as at school, and can give you some space to calm down too. Tell your child to sit on the stairs or in a room for a short, set period of time. The room should be boring (no TV!) but safe. Carry her there if you need to and start timing. If she moves, simply put her back, explaining what you're doing, and start timing again.
At the end of the time, give her a hug and let her go back to what she was doing. If you need to, reinforce in a positive way what you expect her to do. At this point, though, the punishment is over: don't start telling her off now. If she begins to behave badly again, just repeat the whole process. She should get the message pretty quickly.

Distraction
Distracting your child if she begins to get tired or naughty can also work well, If children are starting to fight or misbehave, suggest another activity, such as a game, a toy, an activity or a change of scene. This can help to diffuse a scene before it gets going.

Shouting
Do try to avoid shouting and laying down the law. Too many rules can make a child feel confused or even defiant. A few clear, simple ones are much easier to stick to. Shouting may frighten a child into good behavior at first, but it won't help her to understand what she did wrong. It will also create drama. This may well encourage her to shout back or to shout at others to get her own way.

Lastly, do try to keep your sense of humor! Laughter can often diffuse a situation before it gets serious. It's also important to make time for yourself, too, so you can keep a sense of perspective. Bringing up children is stressful and you deserve a break from time to time!