Early this morning, K- and I were on our own because D- was already at work. So, we headed to the kitchen to rustle up some breakfast. K- loves the kitchen as much as any room in the house. She's been exposed to it since birth whether just being there while we cook or actually getting to stand on a chair and help. She knows the names of multiple food items, utensils and dishes. She knows where they go and happily helps set the table and unload the dishwasher.
Lately, for about the last two weeks or so, we've been working on saying "thank you" and "you're welcome." Typically this means I tell her "thank you, K-" and "you're welcome" countless times a day for even the smallest acts with the hope that it will eventually rub off. One of our favorite places to work on this skill is in the kitchen while unloading dishwasher. For example, K- takes the flatware out piece by piece and happily hands each one to me with some sort of description and I tell her "thank you" for the "big" fork or whatever item she's handing me. She can't quiet reach or see into our utensil drawer and for now, she's quite content to take items out of the dishwasher and give them to me because she knows she's "helping" and she's all about being helpful right now. Her snack bowls, sippy cups and our leftover food storage containers are all in places she can reach and she'll actually put those away and then I'll thank her for that as well, every time. For me, it's a slow tedious process, in her eyes this is a great game and she comes running when I open the dishwasher often saying "ine elping," "K's- elping" or just simply "elping, elping, elping!"
Usually I let K- pick out her own breakfast dishes every morning and that includes getting them out of the cupboard or drawer and taking them to the table. At 17.5 months old she's perfectly capable and content to do so. This morning, because all her cereal/snack bowls were in the dishwasher as were her spoons, I asked her which bowl she wanted. She told me and I handed it to her in what became a reverse role of how we normally put away our dishes every day. As I handed K- her bowl, much to my surprise and utter excitement she looked me straight in the eye and said "t'ank you" without missing a beat I (absolutely beaming) happily told her "you're welcome" then handed her her spoon only to be met with another serious "t'ank you." I was honestly elated and sailed through the rest of the day on the high of hearing the most honest and sincere form of "t'ank you" possible. She really wanted her breakfast. It's wonderful to know that something you're doing is actually paying off! And because she's either learning or because she saw how happy those first couple of "thank you's" made me, she tried it out a few more times throughout the day as well. I even got a "tanks" or two used correctly!
Yay, step in the right direction for K- and I!
Lately, for about the last two weeks or so, we've been working on saying "thank you" and "you're welcome." Typically this means I tell her "thank you, K-" and "you're welcome" countless times a day for even the smallest acts with the hope that it will eventually rub off. One of our favorite places to work on this skill is in the kitchen while unloading dishwasher. For example, K- takes the flatware out piece by piece and happily hands each one to me with some sort of description and I tell her "thank you" for the "big" fork or whatever item she's handing me. She can't quiet reach or see into our utensil drawer and for now, she's quite content to take items out of the dishwasher and give them to me because she knows she's "helping" and she's all about being helpful right now. Her snack bowls, sippy cups and our leftover food storage containers are all in places she can reach and she'll actually put those away and then I'll thank her for that as well, every time. For me, it's a slow tedious process, in her eyes this is a great game and she comes running when I open the dishwasher often saying "ine elping," "K's- elping" or just simply "elping, elping, elping!"
Usually I let K- pick out her own breakfast dishes every morning and that includes getting them out of the cupboard or drawer and taking them to the table. At 17.5 months old she's perfectly capable and content to do so. This morning, because all her cereal/snack bowls were in the dishwasher as were her spoons, I asked her which bowl she wanted. She told me and I handed it to her in what became a reverse role of how we normally put away our dishes every day. As I handed K- her bowl, much to my surprise and utter excitement she looked me straight in the eye and said "t'ank you" without missing a beat I (absolutely beaming) happily told her "you're welcome" then handed her her spoon only to be met with another serious "t'ank you." I was honestly elated and sailed through the rest of the day on the high of hearing the most honest and sincere form of "t'ank you" possible. She really wanted her breakfast. It's wonderful to know that something you're doing is actually paying off! And because she's either learning or because she saw how happy those first couple of "thank you's" made me, she tried it out a few more times throughout the day as well. I even got a "tanks" or two used correctly!
Yay, step in the right direction for K- and I!
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