Follow written directions

What it looks like when your child can do it

• — Given a card that says put on an apron, wash your hands, then set out two cups, your child does all three in that order before calling you over.
• — Your child reads the whole set of directions once, then goes back to the first step and starts.
• — When a step says to wait for a grown-up, your child stops there and waits instead of skipping ahead.

How to teach it at the kitchen table

1. 01

   Read the whole thing before doing anything

   Show your child that directions get read top to bottom once before the first move. A line near the bottom, like put on an apron first, can change what happens at the top.

2. 02

   Do one step, then find your place

   Your child keeps a finger or a pencil on the step they are on. After doing it, they slide down to the next one. The marker stops a child from doing step three twice or skipping step four.

3. 03

   Circle the small words that change a step

   Words like before, after, until, only and never change what a step means. Circle them together on a recipe card. Stir until smooth is a different job from stir.

4. 04

   Step back and stay quiet

   Hand your child a short set of directions and do not help. If they get stuck, ask what the card says, not what they think you want. The goal is directions carried out without your voice.

You will need: Index cards or scrap paper · A recipe card or the directions on a food box · A pencil

Try it together

1. Try 1

   Write three directions on a card: Put a spoon on the table. Put a cup to the right of the spoon. Turn the cup upside down. Hand it over and say nothing.

   Listen for  A spoon, then a cup to the right of the spoon, then the cup turned upside down. Watch whether your child reads all three first, and whether the cup ends up on the correct side.

2. Try 2

   Write: Before you open the door, knock two times. Then say your name. Ask your child to do it at a closed bedroom door.

   Listen for  Two knocks first, then their name, and the door stays shut, because no step says to open it. The word before is the part to watch, because it holds back the action a child wants to do first.

3. Try 3

   Write: 1. Get out a bowl. 2. Put three crackers in it. 3. Wait for a grown-up to say go. 4. Eat one cracker. Hand it over and step out of the kitchen for a minute.

   Listen for  Your child stops at step 3 and waits for you. Eating the cracker anyway means the step was read but not followed, and that is worth a calm talk, because safety rules work the same way.

4. Try 4

   Hand your child a recipe card or the directions on a box of pancake mix. Ask them to tell you what they would do first, second and third.

   Listen for  The first three actions in the order printed, including any before steps like greasing the pan. Saying the steps is enough here, so nobody turns on the stove.

Watch for

• — Following memory instead of the page. A child who has done a job before may skip a step they think they know, so ask them to touch each step as they do it.

If it is not there yet

• — Use two-step directions for a while, like put your shoes by the door, then hang up your coat, and add a third step when two feels comfortable.
• — Read the directions together the first time, then let your child do the same job from the card alone the second time.

A few days of this is normal, and it is time well spent. The lesson will still be there, and it will go faster.

Where this skill comes up

• How Scientists Actually Find Out · Lesson 9

  Before You Touch Anything

  Needs it because safety rules are directions your child has to carry out in order without a reminder.