Peanut Butter Sandwich Project: How to Give Instructions!
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
I am sure many of you know of this from when you were in school. We were reading a book recently that reminded me of the amazing lesson in this and similar projects! These lessons are just as important for parents as for children!
How the project works
Have your students get out paper and pencil.
Instruct them to write directions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (or any other easily made item).
Give them 5-10 minutes to complete their instructions.
Get all of the necessary items for making a PB&J sandwich (PB, Jelly, knife, bread, napkin, plate…).
Choose one of the instructions to use to make your first sandwich (be prepared to be silly and get messy!)
Make sure the kids understand that this is not a contest to see who has the most complete instructions! There is no prize.
Follow the instructions EXACTLY. Do not fill in any of the missing information.
For example, if the student does not tell you how to open the PB, do everything silly to try to open it. If the student does not tell you to use a knife, act confused and use your fingers. If the student does not tell you how to “put” the bread together, stack them with the jelly and PB on the outside. You get the point!
The kids will laugh and try to correct you
Next, have the kids make each other’s sandwiches.
In the end, talk about how the results we get are based on the detail of the instructions given.
Helpful Tips
Remember that many kiddos need very detailed and specific instructions. I won’t go in to the details as to why, because it really doesn’t matter. The fact is, they need more detailed information. Think about coding a computer or robot. It cannot fill in the blanks. It does not already know the goal. You have to provide instructions for every step.
Some kids are the same way! They struggle to fill in the gaps to give you the result you are hoping for. Our family has made many detailed picture lists with the necessary detail for basic chores and tasks I need them to do without my constant detailed instruction.
Things like:
Laundry
Cleaning their room
Cleaning up the kitchen
Tidying the living room
Getting ready for bed
Packing their backpacks
Coming into the house after school
I put these up in a prominent place where these tasks generally take place and remind them to look at them. This encourages them to review the instructions while doing the task, rather than trying to remember what was said. It also allows for a checklist to make sure they are done. It has worked brilliantly!
Next:
Walk through the Peanut Butter & Jelly Project with your kids and maybe some cousins or friends. It is more fun with lots of people.
Talk about the point of this experiment.
Make some picture lists of common tasks. Be certain to capture ALL of the details!