It can drive a parent crazy. You want your child to get ready for school and he’s playing with his blocks. You want him to get ready for bed but he still hasn’t put on his PJs. Breakfast and bath time seem to drag on for an hour at a time. How can you cope with a daily dilly-dallier?
1. Make expectations known.
Make a list of what is expected and by when and go over it with your child. You can leave space for your child to check off each item as he goes so he really feels like this is “his job.”
Moreover, minimize distractions. Is the tv on? Are the toys scattered about? If your child tends to get sidetracked, get rid of the distractions so he can concentrate on the task at hand.
2. Get the musts done first.
For example, as soon as he gets out of bed in the morning, make sure he gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and comes down for breakfast. Only when he has completed these tasks, can he be rewarded with free time to play a game or watch an agreed-upon tv show.
3. Make it a timed game.
How fast can he get his pjs on at bedtime? How quickly can he clean up his room? Who will be the first out to the car? However, making boring tasks into a game can make daily jobs more fun.
4. Provide rewards and consequences.
When your child makes progress and speeds up his “getting ready” time, make sure to notice it and appreciate it. Tell him; “i know you’ve been working on getting yourself ready quickly in the morning and you are really doing a great job. I appreciate it when you are ready to go by 8 am.” If he reverts back to his old ways, allow natural consequences to happen. He’s late to school and is marked as tardy, he must own that. If he’s late to his friend’s party and misses half the fun, he must deal with that too. You can enforce your own consequences as well—like if he misses the bus, he must “pay” for a ride from you out of his allowance. Consequences and mistakes can be great teachers.
