sit at the table, eat all of their dinner before dessert, and then ask to be
excused.
The Reality: Surprisingly, sitting at the dinner table actually requires
a lot of mental effort for kids! If they’re hungry, most children can sit
still and eat. If they’re not hungry, our “three-minutes-per-year rule”
kicks in. Two-year-olds who are full will sit for about six minutes,
three-year-olds for about nine minutes, and five-year-olds for fifteen
minutes. Some days children will eat tons and other days not much,
depending on the amount of energy they’ve used.
What to Do: Use 1-2-3 Magic strategies for dinnertime. Keep portion
sizes modest. Allow the little ones to say they’re full and leave the
table. If a child is full and declines dessert, that’s OK! You can also
consider removing dessert or offering only healthy options during the
week. Finally, make mealtime fun! Play a guessing game, let your
child help prepare food, and offer choices of utensils!
- Homework
Erroneous Expectation: Parents expect children of all ages to start
and complete homework independently.
The Reality: Six- to seven-year-olds can do about ten minutes of
unsupervised homework. A useful expectation is to add roughly ten
minutes of homework for each additional year. Research shows that
children whose parents help with homework feel better about
themselves and have better relationships with their teachers!
What to Do: Maintain an afternoon homework routine at a specific
place and time. Allow your child to choose the order in which he
completes homework. Consider using your 1-2-3 Magic charting for