See It Say It and Draw It Before You Do It

Most of us think of tasks of everyday living like cleaning the dishes, folding the laundry or cleaning ones room,  in order from beginning to end. First, we do “this.” Then next we do “that.” This is helpful for children who think linearly, are able to remember and execute tasks in order and for those children who are supported by visual and verbal cuing (picture schedules, routine lists, and helpful parents).

But for many children developing routines with “The End In Mind,” as Stephen Covey says, is more effective. Covey explains in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that many people need to see or visualize what task completion looks like before they can execute it. “It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint.”

National speaker and speech therapist Sarah Ward, M.S. CCC-SLP echoed this sentiment, “Non-verbal memory, precedes verbal memory, so often children need to imagine what they will do before they can talk about it, then execute the vision.” (Presentation Lexis Preparatory School, Scottsdale, Arizona January 17, 2013)

This is why we use story telling, drawing and verbalizing to help children imagine, talk about, plan and execute routines.

We call the simple technique we use with children, “Draw It Out.” This is a planning technique that involves drawing three boxes (horizontally) and telling the story of the activity, task or routine. The three boxes represent the beginning, middle and end of any task or activity. Then we talk with the children about what they “imagine” or “see” they will need to do to get from “Here” (the beginning) to “There” (the end). CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE AND PRINT.

If you have the children label the drawing something like “Clean My Room,” you can then start drawing in box three (the end) using the following conversation starters to get the child thinking.

“What will we see, when your room is clean?”

“What does a clean room look like?”

“What will the bed be like?”

“What will the floor look like?”

“What will someone see when they walk into the room?”

“Where will all the books be?”

“Where will your clothing be?”

“What will be on the chair?”

“What will be on the dresser?”

“What will be sitting on the floor?”

“What will be hanging in the closets?”

“How will we know when the room is clean?”

Once the child has a label for the activity and three boxes in front of them to draw about and imagine what it will take to do the activity, in this example, clean one’s room, the child, tween or teen has more opportunity for success.  He can see it, say it, imagine it, plan it and do it.

Remember, for many of our children tackling something like the morning routine, homework or tasks of daily living like cleaning your room feel HUGE and overwhelming. When we break down those tasks into parts (chunks) and we imagine what it will look and feel like (what will you see, how will you feel) to accomplish the task, kids feel less defensive, afraid, frustrated or angry.

You can help your child, tween or teen develop an image of what they are trying to attain, by exploring the “Who, What, When, Where and How” of what is needed to “Get There.”

WHO

“Who will help you clean your room?”

“Will you do it on your own?”

“Do you want me to help?”

“Do you want Victoria (child’s friend) to help?”

WHAT

“What will you need to get from here to there?”

“What cleaning supplies will you need to clean your room?”

“What will you need to hang your clothes up in your closet?”

“What will you put where?”

“What is your plan for keeping your room clean?”

WHEN

“When will you clean your room?”

“What time and day will you tackle what parts of cleaning your room?”

“Will you break-down cleaning your room into chunks? Like throwing away old wrappers, food and things you no longer need first?”

“When choosing a home for each item, decide where everything lives.”

“Your perfume goes on your dresser, your socks go in the top left drawer, your volleyball shoes go on the bottom shelf in your closet etc.”

WHERE

“Every object needs a home, where will each item’s home be?”

“Where will you put your shoes?”

“Where will you hang your pants?”

HOW

“Let’s draw out, what the beginning, middle and end are for the story, “This is how I clean my room.”

“How will you begin cleaning your room?”

“How will you choose what to keep and what to throw away?”

“How often will you straighten up your room?”

“How will you maintain a clean room?”

When we “back-into” routines, keeping the end in mind, children are able to plan, initiate and execute with more success. Don’t leave your teens out of the process, we know that many college students do not know how to plan and execute a strategy. So this can help the young and old a like. Task accomplishment feels great! Planning, preparing, visualizing, verbalizing, drawing and writing really help. Once your child has the technique down, he/she can make doing any task, “routine.”

You can use the “Draw It Out” technique for any activity or task, homework, job interviews, or buying a new car.  It’s all in the visualizing. This enhances the planning and execution. Happy drawing to you!