…putting in a little extra effort on the front end can be a real time- saver, and lead to a more peaceful home and stronger relationships with our children.

Getting our children to do what they are supposed to be doing, whether it’s chores, homework, or just putting on their shoes, can be a battle. However, putting in a little extra effort on the front end can be a real time- saver, and lead to a more peaceful home and stronger relationships with our children. Using the ABA strategy known as “Behavioral Momentum,” you can change the momentum in your home on a dime. Here’s how it works: as you prepare to place a demand on your child that you know is likely to elicit a less-than-desirable response, start with something easy, fun, or playful. Beginning with a “high probability” request makes the more challenging request much more likely to happen (Mace, 1988). This phenomenon, which feels like parenting magic, can be attributed to the theory of behavioral momentum.

Behavioral momentum has often been related to Newton’s Law of Motion (Trump et.al, 2020). “An object in motion will stay in motion,” as the law states. Using behavioral momentum, we are trying to get that motion, or momentum, going with our kids, so they can keep going in the right direction toward that more challenging task. It’s hard for humans, especially children, to change direction. The likelihood that we, or our children, will “do what we’re supposed to do” at any moment is controlled by many variables, many of which we cannot as easily control.  

The research on behavioral momentum demonstrates that placing several “high-p” (high-probability) demands in succession before the “low-p” (low-probability) demand (the harder one!) is much more likely to produce the response we want from our children. However, using behavioral momentum at home does not need to look so formulaic. You can still find success using the following steps: 

1. Identify the outcome you are looking for (the low-p response, the “hard” one!)

2. Consider making that request a little more fun or interesting, or weave in some easier requests on the way to that “harder” one.

3. Get on your child’s level, and make that easy request! Be fun and enthusiastic. We want to build a history of positive associations with these tasks.

4. Throw in that more challenging request!

How have you been able to make more complex demands a little more attainable for your child? What questions do you have?

Motivation and “compliance” are key components of skill building.