How to Get Your Kids to Do Stuff

Kids! Can’t live with ‘em…

…and can’t live without ‘em eh?

If you’re a parent you know what I mean. Kids are both the greatest joy and the greatest frustration! As a dad myself, one of the day-to-day frustrations was getting my son to do stuff. Kids don’t have the same responsibilities as adults and their young minds are so much freer to wander about and focus mainly on having as much fun as possible.

I’ve noticed that if I ask my son to do something “one-off,” there’s a much higher chance of a big negative reaction and resistance. Basically, he’s just too into whatever it is at the time to switch to doing my boring thing—usually homework or some other job that needs doing.

The Solution?

Get as much of what they need to do into a habit. Make it the same everyday so they know and accept what’s coming! This works like a charm.

And that’s a real world tip straight from the “coal-face” of life! :-)

Good Habits for Kids

For example, three good habits that immediately spring to mind are;

1. Bed making—always makes me smile this one, when I go into his room and the bed is beautifully tidy, pajamas neatly folded on the pillow and the rest of the room looks—well let’s just say it needs more work :-)
2. Dog walking. He does this straight after school so there’s a solid trigger (or link). Ask him at any other time to walk the dog and I can expect a lot of resistance.
3. Snacking. It’s a long time from his lunch to dinner. He usually gets his snack sorted with only an occasional prompt. It the same snack everyday—fruit and yoghurt.

Some habits are definitely harder to install than others—remember how long it took your kids to say “please” and “thank you”? :-)

Best Parenting Habit?

Oh and talking of kids and habits—one of the best habits I ever got into when Sam was younger was “talky time” before bed—actually in bed. It was usually anything from five to thirty minutes depending on how long he’d managed to delay bed-time!

This is a fantastic habit—it allows them to tell you about anything that’s bothering them. And it allows you to slip in whatever is bothering you about their behavior, or what you love about them in a calm and fun way. Sam absolutely loved it.

More fun and peace!

So, if you want more fun times and less conflict with your kids, then it’s “softly, softly catchy monkey.” Get them to do whatever it is you need them to do (as much of it as possible anyway) into daily or weekly habits.

Let me know if you have any great tips or experience to share with other moms and dads about getting kids into good habits—you can leave a comment below. Thanks!

Discover The Secrets to Happiness...

I hurt for 13 years. It was hell... torture... feeling very bad for a very long time. And that had a devastating effect on every aspect of my life.

With the little energy and focus I had, I hunted for answers. In fact I spent twenty YEARS trawling for answers. You can just imagine the trying, and stumbling, the desperation and frustration...

But now I've seen BOTH extremes of life... from wanting to die every day to the joy of health and happiness. The truth is that all my suffering drives me with a passion to help you not to suffer. Why I can't say, because it's just there, in me.

So don't make the same mistakes I did. Life is too short... I want you to feel good without falling into the pitfalls. I have this knowledge now and I would love you to have it.

It's all laid out for you in a simple step-by-step guide...

		Get your FREE weekly email guide to health and happiness...
		Privacy Policy: We'll never share your details with anyone and you'll be free to unsubscribe at any time.

Mike Kinnaird
Habit Guide: How to be Happy & Healthy