How to Make a Child Do Things in a Timely Manner Without Causing Anxiety
Everyone has time constraints and schedules to keep ̵1; including kids. When your child has something to do or complete with a specific deadline, such as getting ready for school to leave the house on time, he may need your help. Stress and anxiety can occur with a child if he feels overwhelmed with too much to do without enough time. Your job involves helping your child accomplish his goals without becoming overly anxious.
Instructions
Talk with your child about what she needs to accomplish and the timeframe she has to accomplish it to teach time management, suggests an article published by the Yakima Public School website. For example, if your child needs to leave the house for the school bus at 7:30 a.m. discuss everything she needs to do to make this happen. Activities to mention may include getting dressed, eating breakfast, combing her hair and brushing her teeth, collecting her book bag and school materials, and putting on her shoes and jacket. Determine how much time your child needs to accomplish his goal. You might do this by observing your child to see how long it takes him to do things. For example, if your child needs to read a book and write a book report and he can read the book in one week and write the book report in two days, he would need nine days to complete the assignment. Help your child make a schedule to accomplish her goals after determining the goal and the time necessary to achieve it. Kids often appreciate having this control, advises psychologist Laura Markham, with the Aha! Parenting website. Show your child how to count backward from the time she needs to finish something to figure out when she should start working toward the goal. Add some extra time into the schedule to make working less stressful for your child. For example, after determining how much time a child needs to get ready for school in the morning and figuring out when she should get up, add an extra 15 minutes into the schedule by waking her 15 minutes early. A child working on a school assignment might add an extra day or two to the schedule. This cushion should relieve some anxiety and make the morning routine smoother. Supervise your child to ensure he stays on task and accomplishes his goals. A child may become distracted, which might mean he falls behind in his schedule. By monitoring his progress, you can help prevent this, while training him to stay focused on his work. Stay calm as you supervise and work with your child. Your calm demeanor will help your child avoid anxiety and stress, advises therapist Marilyn Wedge, writing for the Psychology Today website. Praise your child when she achieves her goal. Positive feedback helps a child feel successful. Previous:The Link Between Children's Obesity & Parents' Eating & Exercise Habits Next:Things Parents Can Do for Dental Health in Toddlers & Infants
