Hint: it involves food!
Photo: iStockphoto
When you have kids, it's crucial to get them to learn their personal information by heart in case of emergencies. Perish the thought, but if your kid were ever lost or in trouble, knowing your phone number and home address could potentially help them get out of a sticky situation. The trouble is, kids just don't want to learn that stuff.
Now there are plenty of mnemonic devices to help them memorize stuff such as as setting names and numbers to a song or rhyme. But if those don't work, what is a parent to do? This mom recently shared her genius trick on the /r/Parenting subreddit, describing how she found the perfect way to get her kids motivated to learn their phone number and address. Take a look:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/comments/8383rm/how_ordering_pizza_made_my_kids_learn_their/?ref=share&ref_source=link
You read that right: PIZZA.
Is there anything pizza can't do? This is the perfect teaching moment because not only do your kids learn their phone number and address (that is, if they're successful), but you also don't have to cook dinner that night (again, depending on your kids' success). It's a win-win!
You can even switch things up by having your kids order the pizza by phone instead of ordering online. That way they can practise reciting the info out loud and get more comfortable with their verbal ordering skills (anyone who's dealt with a shy kid who needs to order food at a restaurant totally gets why this is important). Tip: Make sure to have them do it over the speaker phone so you can help if the person on the other end of the line goes off script.
Another idea is to turn it into a game by having a pizza night each week (or every other week if you're a soulless person who hates pizza and likes salad—just kidding, liking salad is totally cool. You do you.) and giving each child a crack at reciting their phone number and address. Whoever gets it right can pick a topping! If the kids get it wrong, then it's parents' topping choice and there's no complaining!
No matter how you use this trick, we agree that it's a super smart idea and a great excuse for ordering pizza—not that you need one! So sit back and relax, Mama, because the kids are taking care of dinner tonight.
What are your clever tricks? We heard one mom say that she set her iPad password to her phone number. Brilliant!
Read more: How to teach your kid to call 911 10 easy pizza recipes
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Kevin is an associate editor for Canadian Business in Toronto, Ontario. More of their work can be found in MSN Canada, Chatelaine and This Magazine.