The Domino Game

For this activity, you can use dominos or any toy that can be set up like a domino chain. You can even use board books, boxes of pudding, or other boxed food products. Set up the chain of items. The family can help. Once all the items have been arranged. Just sit and look at it. Do nothing. If no one starts the first item to fall, nothing will happen to the rest of the chain. Ask if anyone knows what the word Initiative means. The first person to get the answer correct is the one to start the chain. Discuss how all it took was one push to knock down all the items. Explain that we all have the responsibility to take the Initiative to complete our jobs. It could be a job outside the home, it could be caring for the home or just your own room. Your job could be paying attention in school and doing homework. Ask each person to think about their areas of responsibility and to think of three small tasks that they could do right now. It could be cleaning, homework or finishing a project. Suggest that these things be small tasks that can be completed in 15 minutes or perhaps it is the first task of a larger project. Set a timer for 15 minutes and send everyone off to do one of the items they thought about.

When the timer rings, gather everyone together and process the activity with these or similar questions:

• Did anyone finish a task completely? 
• Did anyone do more than one or think of another task as they worked?
• Was getting started easier when you knew there was a timer set?
• Is anyone going to go finish another task now that they are thinking of it?
• Will you use a timer if you need incentive to start a task?