Teaching Kids Attentiveness with the Command 3 Game

This week we are teaching about attentiveness in our character development series. I made up a game to make this lesson more fun. My confession is that I feel like I’ve done this game before, but I looked back, and I cannot find it. If I have done a game like this, please just give me grace and pass it off as mommy brain. I don’t know if I thought about it for another trait and never did it or if I dreamed it or if I did it and can’t find it. I am wondering if I confused it with my “Yes, Mommy” game, which is very similar. Perhaps it was the “Obedience Game,” which is also very similar.  Maybe I need to be more creative in my ideas, but I really do think this game is good for teaching attentiveness. This game I decided to call “Command 3.” I have found that my kids recently have been struggling to remember simple instructions. I will say, “Head on upstairs, change clothes and bring the cup in your room downstairs.” They will go upstairs, change their clothes and forget the cup. It’s normal. That is just part of kids and their development. They get distracted and simply forget. However, that’s the opposite of being attentive. Attentiveness involves not only concentrating on what has been asked but staying focused enough to follow through. No better way to teach a concept than through a game. With this game I strung three commands together. I actually introduced them to the game in the morning and told them it was a game we would play throughout the day. What I would do is I would randomly say, “Abby, Command 3.” When she heard it, she would come running. I would give her a string of 3 commands. I would say something like, “Run upstairs, bring down a shirt, and come back to give me a high five.” I varied the commands each time I would do it. I would yell out each child’s name and say “Command 3”  randomly all throughout the day. They seemed to enjoy it. Actually, that’s not 100% true. Kenzie was in a grumpy mood today and had no desire to play. I didn’t force it. I choose my battles, and I want these activities to remain fun. I tried to say, “Kenzie, Command 3” a few times, and she answered back with a scowl. Instead of playing with her, I just had to work on the proper way to respond to me if she doesn’t want to do something. Fun times. I think she spent most of the day on the verge of tears.