Could They Move Any Slower? Tips To Help Our Distracted Kids {And Ourselves Along The Way}
It can be painful to watch your toddler put on their shoes by themselves when you’re trying to get out the door quickly.
They always end up on the wrong foot somehow, too.
Then there’s that certain toy they refuse fo leave the house without that you haven’t seen in months.
You get the point.
It can be infuriating to repeat ourselves when our kids seem to be ignoring us, especially when we need to be somewhere fast.
Remembering and understanding why our kids are moving at a snails pace is important for us to be patient.
When tasks are demanding for kids, their processing seems to slow down.
When faced with decisions or given too much information at once, our kids can also slow down.
Here’s what’s helped our household:
Stay Calm
It’s easy to push my daughter to move faster, but that pressure can slow them down more. Frustration doesn’t help them learn either. We often have high expectations for our children and need to remember how little they really are. They need a calm anchor to learn from.
Allow For Extra Time
Explaining plans in advance and giving children extra time to prepare for activities can be helpful. My daughter really wants to climb into her own car seat lately. Without leaving some extra time I’m more likely to disregard her request for independence and get impatient.
Praise
Praise them for small successes. “Thank you for listening right away” or “It’s important to get to school when it starts; thank you for staying focused this morning”.
Simple, One Step Instruction
Break things down into one step. This tip is the hardest for me. Make contact and tell them just one thing. My daughter is so good at multi-step directions I forget how overwhelming a slew of asks can be. It’s far more effective give one instruction and hold all my other thoughts until she completes it.
I’ve always strived to have the dynamic of our home calm and kind.
These are tips I havent even close to mastered but I’m hoping I can keep practicing as my kids keep practicing.
A soft hand on a shoulder and a calm voice can redirect our children with much more efficiency than rushed, frustrated commands.
I’m reminding myself to have age-appropriate expectations and a hefty dose of patience for those little developing brains.
I know that how we react over time yields importance growth for our kids.
So next time your child wants to change clothes right before leaving the house or seems lost in a daydream, take a deep breath and know that someone in a household not so far away is also herding turtles.
We can do this!
