Chocolate is a very important part of a child's diet. It is one of the five food groups, along with chicken nuggets, french fries, juice boxes, and ketchup. In addition to being an important part of your child's daily dietary intake, chocolate can also be used as motivational and learning aides.
CHOCOLATE AS MOTIVATION
Chocolate is an excellent motivational tool. Some people might look at this as a bribe, but I prefer to use the word reward. Tomato. To-mah-to.Case Study 1
Say you're on your way to Target with an infant and toddler in tow. Your infant has to sit in the shopping cart, whereas your toddler cannot because she's "A BIG GIRL NOW! BIG GIRLS DON'T SIT IN CARTS!" You can't put one of those Kiddie Leashes on her because people will throw rocks at you. So what are you to do?
Now you could easily drop by the Snack Oasis on your way into the store and buy her a slushee and popcorn, but then you're lost the motivation for her to remain by your side because you've rewarded her upon entering. Instead, tell her, "If you're a good girl, I'll buy you a candy bar when we leave." And then all you have to do is remind her of the candy bar when she begins to wander or wants to pull things off the shelves. Everybody wins!
Case Study 2
When we were potty training our daughter, we would reward each successful trip to the potty with M&M's. One M&M's if she did Number One, two M&M's if she did Number Two.
LEARNING THROUGH CHOCOLATE
I have taught my daughter subtraction with chocolate. I'll place thirty-seven M&M's on the table and say, "Here are thirty-seven M&M's. If Daddy were to take away thirty-five of them and eat them (munch, munch, munch), how many M&M's are left?" And she'll proudly reply, "Two!"Note: You can also use M&M's as a tool to learn addition, but it's nowhere near as fun or tasty.
CONCLUSION
Chocolate: it's not just for dessert anymore. I encourage all parents reading this to incorporate these simple tips into your daily lives. Be creative! Invent your own motivational and educational uses for chocolate.This article is part of the ongoing series The Cynical Guide To Parenting.
Related:
The Cynical Guide To Parenting: Threats
The Cynical Guide To Parenting
Speaking Of Potty Training
