Actually, I hate milk. But Levi loves it. In fact, he loves it so much that he would be happy not to eat at all, if only he could have cup after cup of milk. I'm exaggerating, of course -- he does eat almost anything -- but typically, after one or two bites, he's asking for more milk. I barter with him: take one more bite, and then you can have more milk. Take two more bites, and then you can have more milk. Finish these three peas/beans/cheese cubes, and then you can have more milk.
Today, I had a flash of inspiration! I know Levi doesn't really understand what numbers symbolize, so to insist on "three more bites" means nothing to him. But what if I showed him? So I grabbed the magnetic numbers one, two, and three off the refrigerator and placed them on the table. This time, as he took each of the three bites, I removed the numbers in order: "one bite gone! Two more!" etc. When the numbers were gone, he got more milk. He grasped the concept immediately and didn't complain about another bite all through lunch!
Today, I had a flash of inspiration! I know Levi doesn't really understand what numbers symbolize, so to insist on "three more bites" means nothing to him. But what if I showed him? So I grabbed the magnetic numbers one, two, and three off the refrigerator and placed them on the table. This time, as he took each of the three bites, I removed the numbers in order: "one bite gone! Two more!" etc. When the numbers were gone, he got more milk. He grasped the concept immediately and didn't complain about another bite all through lunch!
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try that tomorrow with Gracie!
ReplyDelete