Elizabeth Ray’s Reviews > Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential > Status Update

“You can play video games as soon as you clean your room.” Instead of “you can’t play video games until you clean your room.” Emphasize the positive.

Try to make their brain come up with the answer. Don’t tell them they have to clean their room before they can call a friend. Ask them, what do you need to do before you can call your friend? If they can’t come up with an answer, say clean your what?

Break the chore down into smaller steps. Have them take frequent breaks. You can have a tour menu where they get to choose which chore they want to do each day. Have an incentive. Fast clean sessions. Turn the chore into a game.

Have your child do just the first or last part of a task when they are first learning. For example, smooth the bed sheet when making the bed. Add on another step when the first one is mastered.

Make a sign saying “is your assignment in your backpack?” Move it on top of your backpack at night. Put it back in your room the next morning once you put your assignment book in there.

Take your daughter to pick out colorful organizers and let her choose stickers to decorate them.