8 Ways to Help Kids Develop Patience in an Impatient World

Watch our own attitude toward waiting. “Kids often don’t realize how in-demand their life is until an adult reminds them of how to do things differently,” Simens said. “If you are a parent that turns on the TV the minute you walk in the door, don’t expect your child to mirror any waiting behavior.”

Limit screen time. “Games and television require very little of us—they give us what we want when we want it,” said Crystal Paschal, who writes about literacy and children’s books at Fundamental Children’s Books. Instead, encourage activities like reading with children, building with blocks, doing puzzles, or making crafts, which force children to work through certain steps to get to their desired result. “This helps change their expectations and build patience,” she said.

Get outside. Nature has a wonderful restorative and one has to have patience to enjoy it. Take walks with your kids and stop to watch the beetle cross the sidewalk. “When you talk about the idea of instant gratification, my thoughts move immediately to the need for silence, the need for nature, the need for watching how our world moves around us outside of screens,” Bates said. “By doing this, you’re naturally developing patience and a feeling of being in the moment, following the moment. The more a child feels in the NOW, the easier patience gets.”

Find ways to be patient. Life gives us plenty of opportunities to practice patience, but we have to be willing to use those opportunities wisely. We wait at doctor’s offices, in line at stores, etc. When you’re waiting in those circumstances, stop giving your kids electronics, which only feed their impatience. Instead, chat about the weather or other general observations. Let them bring what I call “go bags” filled with quiet activities, like books, magnet dolls, lace ups, crossword puzzles and drawing pads with colored pencils.

“If your child attends church often, this is a great way for them to learn that sometimes just sitting and waiting can be powerful,” Simens said. “Being still and quiet is a skill kids are not often taught. Even in school, they might be told to be quiet but it is always while doing a task. Being quiet and not doing anything except being in the here and now is a wonderful experience.”