April ~ Day Ten

Nick likes to get up early. As in really early! He bounds down the passage anytime from 4am. He also likes to wake the whole house by slamming the bedroom door. It's not nice.

Today's RDI planned engagement is all about closing the door QUIETLY!


Objective:

Guide Nick on how to close a door slowly, placing particular emphasis on the use of the door handle.


Activity:

Door closing.


Our roles:

I close the door. Pause. Then open the door.
Nick closes the door. I open the door.


Limits:

Use the bedroom door (the one that he slams). No distractions like TV, music or dogs.


Communication:

Use lots of facial expressions. Make the sound "shhhh" when closing the door (a little scaffold for Nick to remind him to be quiet). Use body language to adjust our positions in relation to the door.


What happened:

I invited Nick to join me upstairs and he came willingly. I explained what we were going to do. I then modelled how to close the door quietly, using "shhhh" as guidance. Nick did so well with his turn and he was mindful of how he closed the door. I took my turn and then opened the door. I stepped back to give Nick some space. He knew what his role was and attempted to close the door quietly. By the time we got to our third attempt, Nick decided that he didn't want to be there. I knew that he had reached his edge +1, therefore decided to tell him that there was one more turn and then we were finished.  I had hoped that we would be able to spend a bit more time on this activity and also extend it to closing other doors. However, I know my boy and don't want to push him too far. I would much rather we had short engagements and that he enjoyed sharing the experience with me.


Next time:

I am going to blitz this activity. Wherever we are, if there is a door around, I am going to be guiding Nick on how to close it quietly. I will be very mindful of his edge +1 and really encourage experience sharing.

I don't have any pictures of a door handle!