Life is a marathon and not a sprint, as the saying goes, but it may feel like no one told Baby! Whether he’s trying to get away with running by the pool or flying through his lunch so fast that it’s hard to tell if he’s even chewing, there are probably plenty of ways your tot rushes through his day at top speed.
One great way to harness that energy is to channel it toward the things he needs to do – including chores that might not necessarily be his favorite. Below is a list of different ways you can help him enjoy some of the less exciting – but still important – tasks in life.
- Stopwatch it: Pretty much every smartphone has a timer, which means that most parents have access to a magic device that can make even routine activities that much more interesting. Is Baby dragging his feet when it’s time to put on his shoes and socks? Ask him how fast he thinks he could do it. Knowing that you’re timing him may help to put a little pep in his step, and the next time he’s taking a little longer than you might like, you can always see if he can beat his last time!
- Join the competition: Sure, maybe the most profound competitions are the ones we have against ourselves, but it’s the competitions against other people that are generally the most fun, and you can be Baby’s race-buddy any day. As long as you’re in a safe area to do so, you can race him back to the house, race him down to the water at the beach, or race him right into his cozy bed at night!
- Reverse it: Some tasks, like tooth brushing, aren’t actually better when done quicker. For these sorts of tasks, aim for the opposite, and challenge your little one to see how long he can go. If you brush your teeth alongside him, you can brush and brush until your mouth is all foamy, and then let him “win” when you think it’s time for him to rinse his mouth out.
There’s just nothing like a little healthy competition, is there?
