A timer.
I have used a timer in the past with Mick, who had a hard time staying focused. He was so competitive that he would race the timer to complete math problems.
I once got every timer that Wal-Mart sells and every school child got to pick one. We started having recess during school. That meant 25 minutes of study time, 5 minutes to dance to the juke box or run outside or practice choir music as a family.
Music practice is timed: 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the age of the child. Knowing there is an end in sight gives them encouragement, while the habit of practicing is established.
"Clean this room!" is depressing. "How much can we clean in 5 minutes?" is fun. Without a timer, my five minutes regularly expand to 25, so, for everybody's sake, I need the timer.
A timer doesn't actually have to be a machine with numbers. Noah, 6, likes to spin a top and beat the top to the finish when writing a word or doing a math problem. Sometimes, I'm the timer: "You've got to 15 to be back at your place!" Chase, compete, fun.
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