FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER

September Dates and Hours:

COMING SOON!

TASK COMPLETION

Sometimes it is hard to get a job done. Young children are learning to stick with tough jobs and to keep trying even when a task is hard to do. Here are some ways you can help your child stick with a task and try hard to complete it, even when it is tough.

~~BREAK IT DOWN~~

Help your child break down a big task into a smaller one. When you see that the child is overwhelmed by a big task, you can say, “You can clean up one thing at a time. First clean up the blocks and then clean up the cars.”

~~SET A TIMER~~

Some tasks are overwhelming because your child may think it will take a long time. Encourage children to try a difficult task for a short time and then take a break. Say to them, “Let’s try putting the dolls away for three minutes. We can then stop for a minute and start again.” Often the task will be completed before the timer goes off.

~~REMEMBER SUCCESSES~~

Tell stories about times when you recall your child working hard to accomplish something. Say to them, “Remember when you could not write a letter? You looked carefully at the letters in your name and practiced making those shapes. Now you can write your whole name! Soon you will write a whole sentence. So keep on practicing and trying and you will get there.”

~~TRY IT AS A TEAM~~

Encourage your child to ask for some help from peers. Teamwork makes tasks easier.

In my classroom, I always said, "try and try again, and then ask for help." When students persist and try and try again, students begin willingly offering to help others without being asked. The compassion and kindness exhibited by young children is beyond words and truly one of the most beautiful things to watch unfold!