Here's something you can do to help your kids, especially little ones, keep track of the time leading up to a big event - a birthday, a big trip, the day a cast comes off, etc. I've found that's it's hard for my littler kids to grasp the concept of time if I just tell them how many days until something will happen. They need to see something tangible. Make a paper chain with one link for each day leading up to the big event. You can even write the courtdown number on each one. Then at bedtime each night, have your child tear off that day's link and count the links that are left. As the links go, your child will see the chain get smaller and smaller. I'm planning on doing this for my kids while Pastormac and I are away in Ethiopia picking up Lem Lem and Bear.
For an older child, take a calendar (you can copy the pertinent month from a calendar or even print one out on your computer), have your child mark a large X or draw a decoration on THE BIG DAY. Then each night, let your child take a marker or crayon and color in the square for the day just finished. When I was 12 years old I spent six weeks of the summer bedridden with casts on both legs. My mom did this for me. I can still remember coloring in those squares, filling in those weeks, looking forward to the day when I would be free again.
It worked for me and it works for my kids.
Head over to Shannon's for more WFMW tips.
5 comments:
perfect tip.
when my husband was in iraq, my son kept asking when daddy was coming home. i kept saying soon.
*sigh*
Great tip! My older kids have a calendar in their room to mark off things, but this is a good idea for the youngers!
We've done the marking an X through the calendar for my brother with Down Syndrome for years. Not sure why I never thought about doing it with my boys! I love the paper chain too.
I love this idea. It helped my 3 year olds realize that it was not a different day when they woke up from their afternoon nap!
Geepers, wish I had read this yesterday! I just left my home for five days and it would have been great for my three year old to count the days until I come back!
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