help lexi with talking in school

Tips for Helping Kids Talk

• Be a sportscaster: Do a play-by-play recap of what the child is doing: “You’re drawing a flower” or “I see you’re pointing to the picture in the book.” This helps convey interest in what the child is doing and is a good technique to fall back on when he is nonverbal.
• Wait 5 seconds: When we ask a question, we often don’t give kids enough time to respond. Waiting five seconds without repeating the question or letting anyone answer for a child is a good rule of thumb. It also helps kids learn to tolerate their anxiety.
• Use labeled praise: Instead of just saying “Great job!” be specific: “Great job telling me you want juice!” This way kids know exactly what they’re being praised for, and they feel motivated to keep doing it.
• Rephrase your question: Instead of asking questions that can be answered with a yes or no — or, more often, nodding or shaking his head — ask a question that is more likely to prompt a verbal response. Try giving him choices (“Would you like a puppy sticker or a star sticker?”) or asking more open-ended questions (“What should we play next?”).
• Practice echoing: Repeat or paraphrase what the child is saying. This is reinforcing and lets him know that he’s been heard and understood. For kids who speak very quietly, repeating what they say also helps them participate in bigger groups.

I want to wear the same dress everyday - 3 years and 4 months

This morning, Lexi had a melt down. The reason is she insisted on wearing the same pink dress that she already worn yesterday. I tried to talk her out of the idea. 

First I told her she already wore it yesterday, and people don't wear the same clothes for two straight days. At 3 years old, children don't care about what others think of them. and I don't want her to care too much about what others think of her either, so I didn't try to persuade her with this argument again. 

Then I brought out a blue jean dress. She always said blue is her favorite color and always liked to wear something in blue. But this time, she said no and her favorite color is not blue anymore, but pink. 

I tried to figure out why she only wants this dress, so is it color? It turns out it's the style. It has a twirly edge at the bottom. She likes the dress twirls when she spins. Knowing that I showed her that the blue jean dress twirls too and tried to persuade her to try it on. But she refused to take off the pink dress and cried very hard. I almost lost it. I found I easily get agitated by her crying. Finally, she tried on the blue dress and refused to agree that the dress twirls even when I showed her a video of her spinning the dress. 

Well, I lost this battle and agreed on her wearing the same pink dress again. 
I then googled the solutions to this problem. I am not surprised that this problem comes out and even glad that she has her own mind now. Solutions include:
1. Make a rule that if her outfit is dirty, your daughter has to pick out something else.
2. tell her she can wear her favorite pants and shirt to school every day as long as she is willing to wash them every night. 
3.  tell her that you will wash her favorite outfit twice a week, so she can wear it every Monday and every Friday