Your Child Will Learn
How to remember and follow a 4-step sequence
Here’s What to Do
- Tell your child(ren) you’re going to pretend to be a choo-choo train. You’ll be the engine and they’ll be the caboose.
- Practice the moves you’ll do every time you clap your hands:
- Stop: stop walking
- Breathe: take a deep breath in
- Focus: look straight ahead
- Hop: jump!
- Have your child stand behind you and hold onto your waist. Start walking around the room. When you clap, you both need to Stop, Breathe, Focus, Hop. After you hop, keep choo-choo-ing around the room until you clap again.
- Switch spots! Let your child be the engine and hold onto their shoulders.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Take a few deep breaths and ask your child if they can feel the air going down into their tummy.
ENGAGE
- “The choo choo’s leaving the station… follow me and get ready to listen for a clap!”
- “Okay here comes a clap, get ready to Stop, Breathe, Focus, Hop… (Clap)!”
ENCOURAGE
- If your child is having trouble remembering the 4 moves, clap each out one at a time and say it out loud: “(Clap) Stop. (Clap) Breathe. (Clap) Focus. (Clap) Hop.”
- “What do you think we need to do to make sure we can do the steps at the same time?”
REFLECT
- “How does it feel when we don’t do the steps together?”
Not Quite Ready
Shorten the steps to just being “Stop. Breathe.”
Ready for More
Ask your child to add on a step or two to the end of the sequence. Can you both remember it without saying it out loud?
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will be able to listen to, remember, and follow a 4-step sequence
Time to Complete
15 minutes
Materials Needed
None