3 steps!!!

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Back when I was taking my niece and nephews to the SLO Farmers Market I devised an explicit guideline to keep them safe and close. They had to be three steps or closer and we would play around with counting how far those three steps could be. It worked beautifully and the kids always stayed three steps or closer. I'm sure the vendors thought I was crazy when they would hear me randomly call "Three steps!" and see three young kids zoom back toward me.

I teach the Sunbeams now (the three year olds at my church) and have recycled this technique. It only worked occasionally because the kids would get so excited to be out walking that they'd start racing each other. And calling (in a half whisper so as not to disrupt the other Sacrament meeting going on) "Come back! Stop running!" worked about as well as herding cats with a hotshot.

But somewhere along the way my little Sunbeams developed their own game of Three Steps. Because lets face it, although they CAN count to three, they can't do it and walk at the same time. So to them "three steps" means, vaguely, stay close enough to Sister K. that she stops squawking at them to stop running.

Now all I have to say is, "Look! I stopped!" And they say, "Backingupbackingupbackingup!" while scooting backwards (usually with their little tushes sticking out and their arms pumping). Pretty soon every single one of my Sunbeams is within three steps of me and stock still. It's amazing and works every single time.

Today I was following one of the kids and his mom to primary (Sunday School for kids under 12... We have sharing time first as a large group then break into our individual classes). His older brother was racing ahead of them and I heard my little Sunbeam call, "G! You're too many steps ahead! You have to be Three Steps!" I felt the need to translate for his mother.

This is also the same kid who will remind everyone on our walks, "Evewy body! You have tuh be quiet!" And then promptly follows it up with, "And listen to me!"