Cultivate patience in children

Patience is quite foreign to the usual behavior of children. However, it is a fundamental value to live happily and achieve our goals.

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Children from 0 to 6 years old act according to their impulses and immediate desires, since they have not yet developed the notion of time.

That is why, often, it is difficult for children to wait, because for them that waiting time means that what they want will never happen; therefore, that phrase "wait a moment, please" for them is insufficient. And that lack of understanding or impatience leads them to throw tantrums or to demand as many times as many times as they want, which ends easily with our patience.

Therefore, from a young age, we must encourage the development of patience, teach them to be patient through example and some simple exercises, which help them understand this concept and manage their expectations, as this will help them coexist properly. . with others, to be calm, avoid nervousness, overwhelm and impulsivity among other things.

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Tips to encourage patience at home.

Patience begins with the example. Children are very perceptive with body language, so we must maintain composure in situations that are frustrating, also for adults, such as queuing at the supermarket.

Parents should also be patient with children. At certain ages they try to put a test, and before their mistakes or tantrums, it is better to stay calm and talk reasonably than to lose their nerves.

Start with simple exercises, without going immediately to solve a problem (as long as it is not serious or urgent). Ask the child to wait, first a few seconds, and then one or two minutes, depending on the amount of time that progresses in the exercise.

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Manage the times so as not to create too many expectations. Announce the activities or events one or two days before the beginning, which have less perception of time, the larger the child with more margin we can plan.

The school is one of the places where we tend to make comparisons of the level of our children. Each child has its own rhythm and we should not rush him, letting patience be a value that helps him to do his job better and strive to perfect it.

Discuss and reason with the child decisions, and explain when and why we should wait in certain situations, for example in the doctor. If the wait is very long, bring games, books or coloring pictures that will serve to entertain.

Fulfill our promises, If we promise to attend to the child in five minutes, or carry out an activity with him, we must comply with our word. If it is not possible, explain the causes so that they do not feel forgotten, knowing that we will listen to them helps you cope with the wait more easily.

Perform activities or games that encourage patience, such as puzzles, cooking etc.

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Teaching him not to interrupt the conversations of others is an educational norm. In the same way we must fulfill it, letting the child speak and listening carefully.

Use concrete examples to mark deadlines. If the child wants to play and we simply send him to wait he will not have references, while it will be more convenient to say "after brushing your teeth", "when we finish collecting" etc.

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Activities to do in the classroom

• Carreras de relevos

Students are placed in a row, the first child has to make a tour with an object in his hand, which will be given to the next child when he reaches the goal.

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• Patient animals.

Tell the child about the life of some animals that work patiently and laboriously, like the spider, the ants ...

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• The spider weaves its fabric with great patience and does so because it serves as a trap to hunt insects that feed and if you had this patient behavior because he would simply die of hunger.

• The tiny and laborious ants drag bits of bread or leaves a long way to the anthill and patiently for many hours do the same, come and go with their load on top. If the ants did not have that patient behavior, they would die with their anthill.

• Snails, when they feel in danger, hide their body inside the shell, and close it. The snails also enclose themselves inside the shell when there is no moisture, and they remain that way until the conditions change. In this way, they can survive during long periods of drought. If the snails did not have patience another bigger animal would come and eat them, or they would die in times of drought.

Ask him questions related to the stories, that make him think about the patience that these animals have to survive leading the example to our own life.

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• Role playing games.

With games in which each child has a character and a roll can better understand situations, for example, recreating a waiting room for the doctor or a supermarket.

• Origami

It is a paper folding technique that requires patience and concentration, working step by step is essential in this technique.

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• Light red-green light.

All in a horizontal row, when the teacher says: green light, they have to walk and when they say red light they have to stop. This type of game in addition to developing patience, develops attention because they have to follow instructions.

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I hope that these activities are of their use and can be carried out, both parents and teachers, always remember that we are potential examples of our children. Patience is an acquired characteristic, therefore, it must be developed from an early age.

Source of information

• https://nurtureinmind.co.uk/how-to-develop-patience-in-yourself-your-children/
• http://www.imom.com/good-character-for-kids-how-to-teach-patience-to-your-kids/