Today, my children and I went for a nature hike. It was absolutely lovely, and the children had a wonderful time. At one point though, the energy levels of my youngest flagged a little (he was excitedly running around quite a bit, and thus went through his energy reserves a bit faster than the rest of us). He started to worry that he “wasn’t going to make it,” because the journey was too far.
My oldest then stepped in and walked next to him, saying “You don’t have to make it all the way back. You just have to make it to that next tree right there. You can do that, right?” And of course he could! He practically bounced. Then she told him he only had to make it to the next tree…
Before it became a trick, it became a game. He happily jogged from tree to tree at his big sister’s direction, enjoying his short little stints and forgetting entirely about the full length of the trail still ahead of us.
Breaking down larger tasks into small chunks works, but it works even better if those small chunks become a game in themselves, something fun to bounce to. And it helps to have someone you love along for the journey.
The Opportunity Machine 