Mornings and afternoon’s seem to be the worst times, when you’re rushing out the door or trying to get homework done and dinner on the table in between running kids to and from activities. Oblivious to our requests and reminders of tasks to be done, the children seem to cruise along in their own little worlds until we put on the cranky voice and threaten no more DS time.
The thing is with these times of the day certain things need to be done within a time frame and it’s so much easier if everyone knows exactly what those things are.
Have breakfast, clean teeth, get dressed, pack bag….It all sounds simple and straight forward, but even when children know what they should be doing they can still get distracted by the tiniest things such as their reflection in the mirror (thinking of my 8 year old girl!).
My sister and I each have 3 children, ranging from toddlers to 10 years, so it was natural that our coffee time conversation drifted towards our frustration at how we had to keep repeating ourselves to get our children motivated to get things done during the day.
We talked about reward charts and checklists, and eventually the concept for Magnetic Moves activity and routine charts was born. Magnetic Charts with pictures and moving components to help kids move through their activities and motivate them to keep on task.
It’s been a year since we had that first conversation and about 9 months since Magnetic Moves charts have been available. It’s been an exciting time for us and certainly a huge learning curve. We love hearing about how these products have helped children and parents get organised. We’ve found that many children with learning difficulties, sensory processing challenges and autism have responded well to the practical and interactive nature of the charts.
Keep following our blogs for information about sensory processing, ideas for play and rewards as well as parent perspectives.
Robyn Sims
