Use explicit teaching for kids

The longer I parent, the more appreciation I appreciate simple, back-and-forth structures for teaching. It’s tempting for adults to give long, one-sided instructions to young kids, but those don’t land well. Give them scripts Something vague like “use your words” requires a toddler to remember what word you’re looking for. Harder way Kid: MY SPOON FELL ON THE FLOORParent: Say it nicely.Kid: I WANT A DIFFERENT SPOON THIS ONE IS DIRTYParent: What’s the magic word?Kid: PleaseParent: Please what?Kid: Spoon.You’re trying to prompt too many things here: both “Ask for what you want” and “Say ‘please’ when asking for something.” The more frustrated the kid is, the less able they are to remember all this at once. Easier wayKid: MY SPOON FELL ON THE FLOORParent: Do you want a new spoon?Kid: I WANT A DIFFERENT SPOON THIS ONE IS DIRTYParent: You can say “new spoon please”Kid: New spoon please.Example of teaching a child a phrase as a replacement for grabbing. Example of coaching through phrases…