If anyone in our family is using the microwave and dd13 is in the room, he has to be the one to program the number of seconds on the touch pad. This is a habit we got into years ago, when he was first learning his numbers, and he still likes to do it.

Repetition has been a great learning tool for him. I have no idea how many hundreds of times we sang "Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means slooowwww dooowwwwnn!" when we stopped at a stoplight on his many, many trips to therapy over the years. Even today, if we sit waiting in the car while my hubby runs into the store for a quick errand, my son insists on singing the alphabet song. Once you make something a habit with him, you're not allowed to stop! He has known his ABC's for years, but that doesn't mean he wants to stop practicing them.

I used repetition with my older children, too. Many years ago, we lived in a raised ranch. I still remember that there were six steps up to the landing, and seven more up to the living room. I know this because my preschoolers and I counted them each time we got home from somewhere. (The garage was under the living area.) Of course, they weren't still insisting on counting steps when they were 13; dd13 still does it because he has developmental disabilities and finds routine very soothing. Nevertheless, repetition has been an important part of all of my children's learning.