A = ALTER the Activity That is Happening
Change What You are Doing or What your Child is Doing
Most parents understand the strategy of changing the activity that a child is doing as a way of increasing a parent’s ability to monitor the child. As you go through your day and move from room to room to either spend time with your child or to complete household chores, ensuring your child is safe can be accomplished by changing activities. For example, if you need to make a meal, parents can setup a drawing space or fun activity at the kitchen table for their child to do while you are preparing meals. Similarly, when doing laundry parents can involve their child in the chore of finding dirty laundry of folding clean laundry, e.g., finding and folding socks. The point is to consider what activity you or your child can do that allows you the ability to maintain a high level of supervision.
Examples:
- Encourage activities that allow you to meet your needs to do work or chores, like watching TV while you prepare dinner.
- Turn household chores into fun activities for your child: singing the cleanup song to tidy the house, identify and find coloured clothes in the laundry basket, use child safe tools to help in the garden, washing vegetables in the sink, and more.
- Activities that require a lot of your attention or when your child needs more of your attention are the most important to take seriously and be involved in. Plan your day to allow for these times of work and play.