Dilly-Dally

Do you have a "dilly-dally" at home? You know.. the child you send up to his/her room to get dressed and gets side tracked into doing something completely unrelated to the task at hand? For the longest time I had a dilly-dally. He would get so easily unfocused because of the things around him that looked more enjoyable to do than the thing that he was supposed to be doing. I figured that there had to be an easier way to get him to complete the simplest of tasks without standing there and walking through every movement with him or removing every object from his bedroom other than his bed and clothes.

So, one day the light bulb came on and I discovered what would motivate my dilly-dally. I wasn't going to bribe him because then I would have a dilly-dally PLUS I would be broke. So, I knew that he loves competition...well.. to be honest, he loves to WIN competitions, so I knew if I could turn simple tasks into a contest, he would be all over it.

Now every morning when I need him to get dressed, I simply say "I bet I can get dressed before you! Or, if I'm already dressed, I'll say, I bet I can put on my socks and shoes before you can get your clothes on!" And he is ALL over it!

Then, when that task is completed, I'll say, "I bet I can make my bed before you make yours!" And again, it's a race... and the task gets done.

I repeat the same for breakfast, putting on shoes, cleaning up a room, putting away toys, etc. Whatever I need him to focus on becomes a game. No more frustration over getting him to focus.

So, if you have a little dilly-dally see if this helps him or her get motivated to move a little faster and stay focused.