The feeling that “everything is happening at all at once” is a huge assumption, as it’s impossible for everything to occur simultaneously. Yet, it can feel like all your worlds are colliding and racing past each other—a sensation straight out of a supernatural movie.
This is exactly how a child can feel when we place too many demands on them. For a preschool-aged child who navigates the world primarily through their senses, being given a list of instructions to complete in a short time can be completely overwhelming.
In these early years, a single, clear instruction is most effective. To ensure success, get down to the child’s eye level, use simple and concise language, and explain the task in an achievable way. For me, this is the key. We all want to feel successful, so our goal should be to make it as easy as possible for a child to succeed.
A helpful strategy is to ask the child to repeat the instruction back to you. This confirms their understanding and sets them up to complete the task efficiently.
Just imagine how it feels for a child to be bombarded with too many questions or commands. For them, it can feel just like the title of this post does for an adult—like everything is happening at the same time, creating a whirlwind of confusion.
The antidote is simple: Stop… Breathe… Do.
