Does your 4 year old take forever to do what you ask them to do?!!

[lottytheladybird]

"DS1, it's dinner time now. Please stop playing with your toys and wash your hands for dinner."

2 minutes pass...

"DS1, please wash your hands now."

2 more minute pass...

"DS1, come on! I said stop playing with your toys and go and wash your hands!"

2 more minutes pass...

"DS1, wash your hands! It's dinner time!!!"

And on it goes...not just at dinner time, but whenever it's time to do anything! I'm always saying "come on, hurry up!" all day long!

What's your 4 year old like at doing what you'd like them to do quickly?

giving a countdown is good in every activity (not minutes but times or actions) e.g. 10 more swings (in the park) and then toilet time. Finish putting dolly to bed and then we wash our hands for dinner. Try to keep to the now …. and then …. instructions. My dd loves the park and if i say we just have to go she will have a meltdown. Sometimes i will use the trick of saying '10 more swings and then we need to go and feed the ducks (in the pond by the carpark) this way she is not having to say goodbye to the swings for the boring car.

It's funny because I have DTs aged four who are very different. DS will come immediately when I call him whereas DD takes forever, still playing with her dolls or colouring in a picture or playing a piece on the piano. This is fine that she's having fun but I've explained to her that I'll take these things away from her if they're taking over her life. She's a lot better now.

Yes. Though dd is a bit younger (3.6), she is often slow to follow instructions unless I start getting cross. The worst of it is, she uses my own phrases back at me - 'I'm just busy dressing teddy, I'll come in a few minutes' 'mummy you'll have to wait a bit, I'm doing something very important!' Sigh.