Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? 【小题1】 Wake up. Get dressed. Brush your teeth. Eat your breakfast. Get in the car. Go to school.

Sometimes kids listen to the instructions and sometimes they don’t. And when they don’t, that can be very frustrating for parents. 【小题2】 It might sound unexpected, but one strategy widely advised by children’s health professionals is to engage your child in short, daily periods of child-led play called “special time”. It gives young children a chance to interact with their parents without the stress of having to follow directions — which in turn, strengthens the bond between them.

【小题3】 As that attachment is building, it increases the likelihood that a child is going to listen or value what a parent has to say.

The idea is simple. For at least 5 minutes a day, sit down with your child and join them in an activity. That includes drawing, playing with dolls, building blocks — anything that doesn’t have a right or wrong way to play (like video games). 【小题4】 Bear it in mind that this is your child’s time to be in charge.

This kind of playtime can be helpful in treating behavior in children who like destroying things. According to a 2022 review of literature, parent-child interaction therapy — which includes special time — has long been regarded as an “effective intervention for plenty of emotional and behavioral difficulties” since it was developed in the 1970s. 【小题5】