some way to motivate a slowpoke to MOVE FASTER?

[caedmyn]

My 5 YO is driving me nuts! It can take her 20 minutes to change clothes after she comes home from school and 30 minutes or more to fold and put away a small basket of her clothes (ie 3 prs underwear, 2 prs socks, 4 shirts, 3 prs shorts or pants). She does most everything else at a similarly glacial pace. Is there some way to motivate her to move a little faster? Setting a time sometimes helps...generally only if I'm in the same room to remind her to keep working.

[Ria]

Get a whip.

 

I'm just kidding!!!

 

Seriously, since she's still pretty young, can you make it a game? Have a reward (a piece of hard candy, yogurt,granola bar, comic book, whatever works) and tell her if she can get the job done before the timer goes off she gets the reward.

 

Don't remind her...see how she does.

[SailorMom]

I would say start by setting time limits on a few very specific thinggs - i.e. - you have 5 minutes to change your clothes.... but then allow her her pace at almost everything else. When she does have a time limit - set the timer, but also count it down (yelling from another room works :) ).

When she gets very proficient at changing clothes in 5 minutes, add something else. and so on....

[Brigitte]

Maybe you can and maybe you can't. I have a slow poke and nothing has helped get her to move faster. On some occassions she is motivated to move faster, but it doesn't last. My mother in law is VERY SLLLOOOOOOOWWW. So, I think it is genetic and there is nothing I can do about it. :-S

[ChristusG]

I have a 7 year old slow poke and have yet to get her to move faster. It takes all day to do her school work.

[arghmatey]

My 5YO likes to move at a very leisurely pace.

 

I tell her, "We need to leave in ten minutes to get to story time. First we need to clean up these toys and feed the dogs. What do we need to do to right now if we want to go to story time?"

 

That is an example. We've moved past that now. Now we are applying it to nature walks, play dates, et al.

 

Her day flow chart has helped a lot, too. We made a chart, and she helps me plan her day out every day. She has a visual of what we set out to accomplish within blocks of time (six blocks for the day). Everything has been getting accomplished, and she LOVES getting a say in what order to do everything.

Edited September 24, 2011 by arghmatey

[mama2bandg]

One thing that I find works well is to encourage my DS to move "as fast as he can". He loves it because it is like a mini-race each time.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Everyone here has good advice.....

 

However..... some people are just slow. They will never change. They are put on this earth to teach us patience. I have spent 19 years learning this lesson. :D

 

See my sig. I've spent 19 years trying to hurry her up. It started with having a non-stress test b/c she wasn't kicking enough before birth. She them moved on to taking forever to do her chores, to taking two hours to make cookie dough, to giving me a heart attack b/c she wouldn't drive 55mph on the highway....

 

I can't hurry her up, but she notices everything, remembers everything, has unique and amazing observations about the world, and has an incredible mind.....maybe b/c she didn't speed through life?

[Momling]

Maybe you can and maybe you can't. I have a slow poke and nothing has helped get her to move faster. On some occassions she is motivated to move faster, but it doesn't last. My mother in law is VERY SLLLOOOOOOOWWW. So, I think it is genetic and there is nothing I can do about it. :-S

:iagree: My 9 year old is as slow as they come. I don't think it's changeable. She was a slow baby and slow toddler. She just does things at a different pace. We're very fast eaters, so the three of us will have finished dinner in less than 10 minutes, while my lovely 9 yr old has just taken her second bite. The slow eating is a good thing, I guess... but slow dressing and slow working and slow getting to the car when I'm in a hurry is a problem.

 

She's getting better at being organized to compensate for it. For instance, last year there used to be a giant rush as she forgot to put on her ballet clothes or put her hair up. This year, she'll put her leotard and tights on in the morning for a 3pm class. I figure she's at least thinking it through.