Some Assembly Required
Encourage hobbies. “Teach children hobbies that rely on patience,” said Paschal. For example, plant seeds, then wait for them to grow. Mix cookie dough, then wait for the cookies to bake. “Show your children the good things that can come to those who wait!”
When doing projects that require periods of waiting—for something to bake or paint to dry—“instead of doing something in between stages, you can talk and tell stories and be with one another,” said Simens.
Let them daydream. When your child’s staring off into space, don’t interrupt him! Let kids daydream. “Visualization is an active way to work on developing patience. Nighttime visualizations before bed with stories can be very helpful for this,” said Bates. For more ideas on daydreaming, read “8 Reasons to Encourage Your Child’s Daydreaming.”
Build in boredom. Sure, the kids will whine when they have nothing to do, but if you leave them alone with their thoughts, they will soon figure out how to occupy their time. When my children were younger, I often shooed them outside in the summer against their wishes (“There’s nothing to DO outside!!”) and set a kitchen timer for 30 minutes. When the timer went off, they could come back inside. But more often than not, when the timer dinged, they had overcome their boredom and were happily playing.
“If a parent values the time that is spent doing nothing, it can rub off on the child,” Simens said. “When life gives you times to be annoyed, turn it into something positive by having your child be part of the waiting cycle.”
To connect with me and read more about raising kids, visit www.sarahhamaker.com.
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