How an Advent Calendar Became Our Kids’ Marshmallow Test
My children are now 4.5 and 2.5 years old, so during our weekly visit to Trader Joe’s today, we thought they were ready to both have their own advent calendar.
Some people get surprised when they see this in my older child: he can wait to eat a treat for hours or even days if asked to do so. He proved this after Halloween’s trick-and-treating and on many other occasions. If you tell him he’ll need to wait until the next day, he will. But expect this to be the first thing he asks about after he wakes up.
However, with my younger one, we weren’t so sure. She’s the child who will climb on kitchen cabinets to get all the treats at once.
Sure thing, they both acted as anticipated.
My 4-year-old carefully opened all windows, curious about what’s coming each day. However, he only ate the one for the day and notes what shape’s tomorrow. When he woke up on December 2, he repeated the exercise, eating a single chocolate: what was behind number two?
What about my 2-year-old? Well, she was a completely different story. The second I turned around, she started opening as many windows as she could and immediately eating them. Her patient brother warned me but didn’t copy her.
Not my daughter, but the exact picture — Source: Adobe Stock
So I took the advent calendar from her, and reminded her of the rules: One chocolate a day, you need to wait until tomorrow to eat another chocolate. You won’t have a chocolate piece for the days you already ate.
I wished I could say this was the end of the story, but a second part of the saga awaited us this morning. After waking up, I noticed she wasn’t around, so I went downstairs to find her. She had sneaked to the kitchen, grabbed her calendar, and eaten a few extra pieces. She smiled at me and claimed to regret nothing.
Why the different behaviors? Well, I thought that to begin with, she is two years younger than her brother. On the other hand, we didn’t introduce my older child to sweets until he was old enough to understand what was going on at birthday parties and celebrations. My daughter was still a baby at that point, but she learned what sweets were a lot earlier.
I’m a scientist, so I got curious. This reminded me of the Marshmallow Test. Did this mean that my older child was going to be more successful than my younger one? Is this an age thing or something else?
Trailblazers 25 Pioneering Women in Science Educational Coloring Book Volume One: Women in Stem Coloring Activity Book for Kids Teens and Adults
Meet 25 Women in Stem Who Changed the World!
Throughout history women have made their mark in science, sometimes risking everything and overcoming tremendous obstacles, leading to new discoveries. In this educational coloring book, you’ll meet 25 of these amazing scientific trailblazers while expressing your creative side with 25 beautiful grayscale illustrations to color.
Whether you're a parent, educator, or have kiddos in your life, you're provably thinking about the best gifts for the holiday season.
What if I told you that you can provide them with STEM-based toys? I have recommendations for kids of all ages.
Kids 0 to 4 years old
Looking for Montessori-inspired toys that captivate and educate? Lovevery Play Kits have been a game-changer for our kids, fostering curiosity and creativity through beautifully designed, age-appropriate activities.
Do you know what I wished I had grown up? Cool science experiments to learn from.
I found out that the Science Boxes by MEL Science are exactly what I wished I had.
MEL Science is an educational company that offers monthly subscription boxes designed to make science engaging and accessible for children.
Each kit includes hands-on experiments across subjects like chemistry, physics, and STEM, accompanied by digital experiences such as virtual and augmented reality lessons.
These resources aim to foster a love for science through interactive learning at home.
It has been so much fun putting these resources together for you. So please reach out any time!
This newsletter contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my link—at no extra cost to you. In fact, I often get to offer you exclusive discounts!
Your support through these links helps me continue creating science content every week.
