“Got it. What else?”
“Remember that some kids would follow the directions if they could only remember them. You know how you tell your kids, ‘Put away your briefcase, put away your shoes, wash your hands, and come to the table’? And then you get annoyed because they didn’t listen?”
We both laugh at the familiar scenario. “It’s too many directions at once. Break it down, one direction at a time.
First, tell them to put away their siddurim. When that’s done, direct them to take out their Chumashim. When they’re ready, direct them to the place [When issuing directions, pause to give processing time between each step. If you’re giving multistep directions, give extra processing time]. As they progress, you can move on to two-step directions, but tell them you’ll be giving them two instructions at a time.
“Just like you can teach them the vocabulary, you can also teach them the routines. ‘For Chumash, you need your Chumash, notebook, and pencil.’ At home it might be, ‘Pack your lunch, your snack, and your homework.’”
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