How often do you hear yourself repeating the same three directions to your child …“Brush your teeth, put on your pajamas and put your backpack by the front door.” Finally you realize you have now said the same thing about ten times? In my house this usually ended in one of us losing our patience and things becoming heated. Good news! There are simple ways you can promote success (and independence!) in this department and reduce stress levels for both you and your child. Fun fact…all kids crave structure and independence. Here are four easy things you can do to set your kids up for success when following multi-step directions at home:
Provide Visuals
Showing kids what the final product is expected to look like. This takes out the guesswork. You might take a picture of their backpack with all the correct items inside. Give them a checklist with each of the things you expect them to accomplish. Create a picture schedule of the steps in a daily routine. You might be thinking “We do the same routine every night before bed!”, but kids can be easily distracted and get off track unintentionally. If they have a visual they are far more likely to stay on task. Minimizing your words and maximizing visuals will help create less conflict between you and your child.
Get Yourself a Timer
Taking a picture of their clean bedroom and turning your child loose to clean it may result in the chore being completed by some time next week. If you want it done efficiently you should set a timer. This makes them aware of how much time they have left to complete the chore. I like visual timers the best so that kids can actually “see” how much time is left and work accordingly. Of course, you must set reasonable time allotments for what needs to be accomplished.
Stick to Routines
Kids love to be able to anticipate what is coming next in their day. They crave structure and rely on routines to be successful. Try your best to keep the homework routine the same each day as well as your dinner time and bedtime routines. Schedules change and this certainly isn’t always possible, but making a conscience effort to stick to a routine as much as possible will set your child up for success and definitely fewer meltdowns.
Provide Reminders
Telling your child at 6:00 that he must be in bed by 8:30 and then losing your mind when two and a half hours later he’s still playing in his bedroom and hasn’t started the bedtime process is a recipe for disaster. Give a 15 minute reminder and then a reminder again five and ten minutes later so that your child can manage their time appropriately.
Following multi-step directions is often a difficult task for young children. Fostering independence with this skill requires a lot of support on your part as the parent. Providing your child with some simple strategies and supports will result in less frustration and more harmony in your household.
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