Training Time

I've been slacking on our training times, but picked it back up again this morning.

Today I focused on manners with J and V. I gave each a plate with 5 goldfish crackers, 5 chocolate chips, and 5 raisins on it. They sat across from each other at the coffee table. They took turns asking each other for a treat. It was supposed to go something like this:

J: May I have a goldfish, please?
V: Yes, you may!
J holds out his hand.
V gives him the treat.
J: Thank you.
V: You're welcome.

And we did it until all their treats were gone (20-30 minutes).

I had to remind them about each line and action, but I'm not disappointed. It's just something we'll work on for the next week!

I'm glad the kids have each other to practice manners on!

With H, I worked on obeying the simple command: come here.

She did okay, but I'm seeing the need for consistent training and follow-up with her! She's in that very impressionable age (1 1/2), perfect for training!

I set her down somewhere in the living room with a toy and went into the kitchen area. I called her and made eye contact with her, holding out my arms. She came sometimes, with a huge happy grin on her face, which, of course, made me smile. And sometimes, she did an about-face and toddled off in the opposite direction. She's still in that cute-waddling stage, so I giggled as she wandered off, but still went after her, brought her back to the toy and called her again. We did this for about 10 minutes.

Even though the kids didn't do the tasks perfectly, it was good to focus on these skills for the short time we did today. It's an investment in their futures. Thank You, Lord, for my children!