The 10-Minute Rule

You plan the perfect day, and everything is going great, then it’s time for the activity to end, and your kid loses it, and before long, everything is ruined. What happened? What went so wrong so quickly? Most likely, you skipped the simple step that ensures smooth transitions, the 10-minute countdown. Even for children who cannot tell time, a 10-minute warning, with reminders at around 5 minutes and 2 minutes, works like a miracle in preventing meltdowns. There is no longer an abrupt end to an activity but a smooth transition from the end of one thing to the beginning of the next, and that makes the experience better for everyone.