Train Children's Patience, These Are Simple Things Parents Can Do

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JAKARTA - The ability to wait is about self-control and delayed gratification. Both are key skills needed in life, said Jill Trumbell, assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of New Hampshire.

Research shows that children who grow up to be patient adults not only have better physical and mental health, but they also have stronger relationship skills and make more progress toward achieving life goals.

The phrase “wait a minute” may sound like a simple request to an adult, but not to a child. A child's brain is still developing. If you ask them to wait, it's a good idea to explain carefully the reasons why they should wait in a way that your child can understand.

Besides that, what else can parents do to teach their little ones to be patient? Adapting the Parenting page, here are other tips.

Avoid using the word 'a moment'

The word 'a moment' will be difficult for children to understand. He is very likely to define 'a moment' with a different view from yours. This makes him interrupt frequently and seem unwilling to wait because what you might call 'a moment' is too long for him.

Therefore, it is better to explain at the beginning, for example, “Mama needs to talk to a friend, just briefly, only two minutes. Please wait until we are done. Once you're done, Mama will immediately focus on chatting or playing with you again."

They probably didn't understand how long 'two minutes' was. However, once you're done, they'll have a new understanding of timing. So, you can use it again later.

Use the timer

To minimize differences in understanding of time, you can turn on a timer. This device feels fair enough for all parties. Children feel they have a guarantee that their parents will not break their promise with the word 'a moment' and parents are also calm because they have clear boundaries for their children.

Bring children's toys

Waiting is boring. Even adults hate to be told to wait. The most important thing to remember is that waiting feels long when doing nothing.

Therefore, to divert it, you can bring some of your little one's favorite toys to keep him busy while waiting. Thus, he will not focus on 'waiting' alone.

Give a snack

In addition to toys, bring their favorite snacks too. Snacking activities can be alternated with playing. So, children's attention can be distracted longer.

Give a compliment

When they manage to wait patiently and don't interrupt you, compliment them. This will be his motivation to learn to be patient to wait longer in the future.