FHE: Obeying Mommy and Daddy

Since our number one family rule we came up with was to "obey mommy and daddy", and that seems to be the hardest rule to keep for my 3-year old, I thought it would be good to dedicate a whole lesson just to that.  I am basically copying what was done here and here.

We started with a couple of games of "red light, green light" using some "lights" I made out of card stock and popsicle sticks.

Then we played the "repeat my action" game, where they copy what I do.  (stretch arms, spin once, touch toes, sit down, fold arms, etc) to help them calm down.

Then we talked about how both of those games rely on obedience or they wouldn't be fun.  (what does obedience mean?)

Then I got out a toy farm animal and put it in the fence made of blocks and we talked about why farm animals have fences.  (to protect them from getting lost or hurt and so the farmer knows where they are and kind make sure they're healthy and fed, etc.)  Then we compared the fence to rules and that we need to be obedient to mommy and daddy's rules because they just want the kids to be safe and healthy and happy.

Then we brainstormed a list of things that mommy and daddy ask the kids to do: brush teeth, stay within site at a store, don't cross the street without an adult, be kind, pick up toys, take a vitamin, etc.

I printed out a blank calendar (not even with days of the week) for each child to hang up and the plan is that at the end of every day, we draw a picture of something they did that was obedient.  (note: for some reason Google Docs has issues trying to print in landscape, at least at my house... so download it to your computer (File>Download as...) in something else and edit the name at the top before printing.)

I'll update to see how well the calendar idea takes.

I thought of also printing out a kind of "chore chart" with simple toddler things like "get dressed", "take vitamin", "pick up toys", "brush teeth", etc that we could mark off through the day, but I thought some of the bigger things like holding hands in a parking lot would be better to reward for at this point, so I may do that later on, maybe at the end of the month of obedience...