One strategy that has worked very well with Madison you can try with your kids. Creating rituals at bed time are very important as you know - dinner, play, tickle attack, bubble bath, brush the teeth, read or tell them special stories/dance and sing their favorite songs, rub their head and back etc.
Since she was very young I recap her entire day and ask her questions about what happened. We would look at all the fun things she/we did, how well she performed and behaved, what she learned today - new tasks or words, phrases and concepts, recently we began going over any "time-outs" she had and why they happened, and finally what she had to look forward to tomorrow and how well she will do. I do my best to use the best words, volume, tonality, pacing, facial expressions, touch, and physiology to make it compelling. Adding in the senses of smell, taste, temperature etc. helps too.
We believe this ritual has made getting her to bed much easier and has planted seeds deep within her that grow a little more each day. We will strive to live up to the positive expectations that people have of us, especially those closest to us.
by Chip Eichelberger
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