Socks, Then Shoes

What you need

• their socks
• their shoes

How to do it

1. Get down to their level and say their name so you have their attention.
2. Say it once: 'get your socks, then your shoes'.
3. Wait. Give them a few seconds to work it out before you say anything else.
4. If they're stuck, point to the socks, then let them do the rest.

Why it matters

Two things in an order they already know gives a toddler the easiest possible version of a two-part instruction: the steps belong together, and the order makes sense.

What they're learning

Holding two things in mind

Remembering the second step while doing the first is the whole skill, and it's genuinely hard.

Listening first

Stopping to hear the whole instruction before setting off is a habit worth building.

Doing things in order

First this, then that: the backbone of every routine they'll ever run themselves.

What to look for

Watch for them heading for the shoes once the socks are sorted, without another reminder.

A tip

Say it once, then wait. Saying it again straight away gives them a new thing to listen to just as they were working out the first one.

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