Every once and I while I will post a picture on instagram that will cause someone to ask, “How do you get your kids to do that?”

How do you get your kids to play chess?How do you get your kids to do yoga?How do you get your kids to watch that show?

Well, today I’m going to share my secrets for getting my kids to do things that they might otherwise refuse.

Step 1: Announce that it’s bedtime. I suggest doing this about an hour before the time your kids really need to go to bed in order to get a full night’s sleep.

Step 2: Offer an activity of your choice that is available for anyone who would like to stay up late. For us, that activity is usually reading. But we mix it up – sometimes it’s yoga, sometimes it’s practicing math facts, sometimes it’s watching an educational documentary.  But it never fails . . . if my kids think they are gaming bedtime, they are suddenly up for anything.  Even putting laundry away.