The Step Back Technique: Easy & Quick Way To Get Kids To Follow

Ideal situation: kids picking up their toys after one or two reminders.

What if you could increase the chances of your kids following what you say right now?

What if this could be done without requiring major behavioral adjustments for both you and your children?

Do you think it sounds too good to be true?

This isn’t a trick but a simple and EASY technique you can do right this very moment to get your children to listen and follow.

Introducing The “Step Back” Technique

Clean your room. Finish your food. Dress up.

These are only some of the many things children are reminded of on a daily basis.

What’s frustrating is that no matter how many times you’ve told them to quit jumping on the bed because they might fall, they don’t listen.

Also, it takes a million times for you to remind them to pick up their toys before they actually get to it…

Avoid erupting like a volcano by using the Step Back Technique.

…unless they notice you’re about to erupt like Mt. Vesuvius, which destroyed two Roman cities – Pompeii and Herculaneum – in 79 AD, by the way.

The Step Back technique is based on a 2009 study done by the University of Colorado, US, which found that though young children aren’t good planners, they are good at storing information for later use.

This means two things.

First, instilling foresight at such a young age may not be a lost cause, but don’t expect them to analyze possible scenarios and plan actions accordingly.

Second, children retrieve information from past experience (which is why this technique is called Step Back), and this is what you, harried mom, should capitalize on.

How To Use This Technique

Instead of saying: After taking a shower, always make sure you fix the bathroom.

Say this: Remember that time you fixed the bathroom right after your shower, without me even reminding you to do so? Do you think you could do that again now?

Instead of saying: Before you go outside, take the umbrella with you because it’s a hot and sunny day.

Say this: When you go outside and find that it’s hot, you can use the umbrella that’s by the door.

Instead of saying: Finish your glass of milk now.

Say this: Remember when the dentist told you to drink a glass of milk everyday for stronger teeth and bones? Why don’t you go ahead and empty that glass in front of you now?

There are many other applications, but you get the idea:

Capitalize on their memory.

Another bonus of using the Step Back technique is that culling out a specific event, one when children did something ideal like cleaning the bathroom without being told, reminds them that they can accomplish the task again.

This alone is encouraging.

So, what do you think of this method that can get kids to follow? Would you try it now?

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Photos via Flickr: first, second