Parent counts aloud from thirty, slowly and theatrically, while the child races to be fully dressed before zero. The counting replaces repeated instructions with a single, clear competition. A child who digs in at 'get dressed' almost always rises to 'beat the count.' Works best when the parent acts genuinely surprised to have almost been beaten.

How to do it

1"I'm going to count to 30. See if you can get dressed before I get there."
2Count aloud. Slowly. Pause with genuine drama somewhere around 15.
3If they beat it: genuine celebration. If not: "Close. Tomorrow we'll beat it."
4Keep a record of their personal best. The competition runs itself.

Variations

Starts counting but they freeze or sulk: don't wait for them to move — just keep counting, slowly and theatrically. The number carries the expectation, not your words.
They beat the count or fail: "Close — new personal best!" or "We'll beat it tomorrow." Same tone either way. The count runs itself; the celebration is the win.

💡 Parent tip

Count slowly and make it theatrical. A countdown that's obviously manipulable feels fairer to children — they can see the mechanism working. That transparency is part of why it works.

What your child develops

Task initiation — a countdown creates a concrete start signal that avoids the open-ended 'get dressed now' resistance loop
Autonomy within constraint — the child is racing against a number, not complying with an instruction
Speed processing — dressing at speed requires sequencing decisions under pressure