Rather than being in the china department of Macy’s and trying to tell your child to not touch, practice at home. Prepare them for what they will encounter. “We are going someplace where there are going to be a lot of pretty, sparkly things. While we are there, we just look with our eyes. We don’t touch.” Then, practice. Set up a number of things around the house that would be tempting for them to touch and grab. Point to the items and talk about them, but teach them not to touch. Make a game out of it and praise them like crazy when they are following your expectations. The game should be fun too – set up obstacles to avoid and earn points, stickers, magnets (whatever your reward system) along the way. This preparation before an outing makes the experience much more manageable and enjoyable. Training prior to the moment can be applied to any situation and making a game out of it is what helps the kids absorb it. P.S. Don’t take your kids into the china department at Macy’s.
