Ever have trouble getting your little ones to follow directions? We have developed a way to help alleviate the stress and help your children understand that positive things follow when they obey their parents. Our “Okay mommy!” system has already been effective for children on AND off the autism spectrum. In today’s post, we will explain the system and provide a visual for you to use at home!
The best way to get any kid to participate in an activity is to make it a game. We recommend explaining it to your kiddos as a game. Every time they say “okay mommy!” or “okay” to another authority figure (father, babysitter, teacher, etc.), they get a smiley face colored in on the visual below! Once they reach 10 smiley faces, they win the game and get a prize! The prize can be anything that’s really reinforcing for your kids, such as a dessert at dinner or an extra book to read at bedtime.
Sometimes, certain activities aren’t effective right away. Sometimes, we have to make modifications to make the activity more effective. For example, if your little one can’t make it to 10, tell them they will win or earn a treat after each letter is filled in. If your little one doesn’t care about the smiley’s being colored in, let them choose the color of the marker you use or give a very small reward (1 mini marshmallow) each time they earn a smiley. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the “Okay mommy!” system!