Activities to teach patience to your child  

oday I reached my office and was all set to start my work when I opened my bag to see that my soup was spilled all over my bag.

Please don't judge me, I know people are not supposed to carry soup in bags. But I was in a hurry and didn't have time to get it packed before leaving.

I was quite frustrated and didn't know how to go about this mess. My son saw me scolding myself and he was quick to take action.

• He got me a cloth, and some wet wipes and started wiping the soup off my bag. I was so amazed by his patience and presence of mind and it made me wonder whether children have more patience than adults.
• He also kept talking to me while he was cleaning and it helped me focus on something else other than my frustrated state.
• He checked all my gadgets and belongings which were in the bag after cleaning it and made sure nothing was damaged. He said that we should be happy that nothing happened to the gadgets.
• He told me these things happen sometimes who knew this could happen today? His positive attitude and his calmness made me think that children indeed have more patience than adults.
• He also suggested we carry a separate bag for lunch next time so this doesn't happen again. I definitely learned my lesson and promised to follow his advice.

It got me thinking further about how children seem to have more patience than adults. They're able to keep their cool in situations where adults find themselves losing their patience.

I was thinking that when kids do such mistakes, adults get frustrated and start scolding them. But my son’s reaction was different. He stayed calm and tried to make things right without getting upset or angry.

This made me realize that children have more patience than adults and they can handle difficult situations much better.

It's important for adults to learn from the way children stay patient in difficult situations and try to emulate them.

I was thinking about how Adi developed the skill to manage his emotions like that day and if it was just him or if all kids are like this. After doing some research, I found out that children today have more patience than before

A paper published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Developmental Psychology, it was found that children born in the early 2000s have more patience than previous generations. The average child could wait two minutes longer to get a bigger and better treatment.

Parents in the 21st century might be surprised to know that their children are more patient than they were in the 20th century, according to a new study. The researcher surveyed 358 adults, asking them how long they thought their kiddos could delay gratification compared to preschool-aged children in the 1960s (when the study was originally conducted).

A recent study found that 72 percent of adults think kids today would wait less time to get their treat and 75 percent thought their kids would have lower degrees of self-control. With this in mind, it looks like we might be underestimating our children more than we previously thought.

What does this mean?

As mentioned in the Wall street journal there can be numerous reasons responsible:

Improvements in nutrition and GDP- higher levels of nutrition and economic status could be responsible for increased patience in children.

Evolved Parenting- Parents today are more aware of the importance of patience and use nurturing techniques to instill it in their children.

Spending more time with kids - In the 1960s, parents spent approximately 36 minutes a day Teaching and playing with their children. In 1998, that number had increased to 78 minutes per day.

Parent-Child interaction- Parents and children interact more than ever before, which has been linked to increased patience in children.

Teachers are better educated than ever before-  Today, teachers have more knowledge and training to help children develop patience.

I was thinking about what parents can do to cultivate this attribute in kids

Here are some tips to help parents teach patience to children:

1. Model Patience-

Children learn best by imitating the behaviour of those around them, so it’s important for parents to model patience. When you show patience you teach your kids patience.

2. Encourage Positive Self-Talk-

Effective positive self-talk helps children recognize and manage their own emotions and regulate their behavior.

3. Teach Problem-Solving Skills-

Parents should focus on teaching problem-solving skills, like calming down and looking at the situation from a different perspective.

4. Encourage Gratitude-

Teaching children to be thankful for what they have helps them appreciate the value of patience.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”-Leo Tolstoy

To my surprise, Adi displayed all the traits listed above. He learned to model patience, encourage positive self-talk and practice gratitude on a daily basis

It's never too early to start teaching children the value of patience, and it's important to remember that each child learns differently.

Giving a child what he wants always might not be the best answer. Instead, it's essential to teach children how to manage their emotions, work through difficult situations, and develop resilience.

It's amazing how much they can learn with our guidance and support!

When children find it hard to wait, help them practice delaying gratification by using positive reinforcement and patience.

Activities to teach patience to your child  

1. Introduce activities to teach patience like using timers-

Set a timer to help your children practice patience in activities like waiting for dinner or doing their chores. If your kid cannot conceptualize time yet its never too late to develop a sense of time in kids. Developing the concept of time is not very difficult for kids. Sometimes children are not able to wait they do not how to pass the time. After they wait for a little they might get irritated but developing a  time sense is important part of patience.

2. Teach patience by helping build habits like reading-

Reading books together helps children understand the concept of patience better and encourages them to be more patient in everyday life. The best way is to learn and practice patience with your kids. When kids sit a read for longer hours they are in a sense waiting for the entire book to finish.

3. Teach self-control-

Playing games that encourage self-control like Simon Says can help children learn to wait and control their impulses. There are ways to help them understand self control.

4. Teaching kids to take turns-

Help your child practice waiting for their turn in activities like board games or role-playing. When a child doesn't want to wait the best way is to ask them to take turns. When kids easily get what they want without even realizing the value they child doesn't see the value in what they already have.

5.  Encouraging boredom also teaches patience to kids-

Boredom is a great way for children to learn patience and come up with creative solutions to their challenges. Let them find ways to entertain themselves without relying on screens or toys.

Children can develop patience at any age, we just need to know the right way to teach a child patience. You can do it simply when you encourage your child to wait when you talk to your child to wait for something. Developing patience for your little ones is important as it will help them in the future.

It also depends on the way of teaching patience to kids, children will learn self-control, delaying gratification, and patience more easily if parents use positive reinforcement than punishment.

When children can't wait it can lead to a lot of frustration, that's why they need to understand the concept of waiting.

The ability to wait is an important life skill that all children must learn.

Patience is a virtue that all parents want their children to possess, but it is not always easy to teach them. With the right techniques and activities, parents can help their children develop patience and self-control.

Staying calm and positive in difficult situations is a valuable lesson for any child to learn and it will help them in the future.

These are some other fun ways to teach kids patience.

Ask your child to Grow a plant-

Letting kids grow a plant or small tree is a great way to teach them patience.

Teach children patience by letting them take care of sick people at home-

Taking care of sick people at home helps children learn the importance of being patient and understanding.

Making a craft can teach kids patience-

Making crafts or art projects teaches them to focus on a task and be thoughtful about the process. 

Waiting for turns in government offices can teach patience to children-

Waiting for turns in government offices gives children the opportunity to practice patience practically and understand that sometimes we have no choice but to wait in line.

Doing chores can teach patience to your child -

Doing regular chores helps children understand the importance of spending time on cleaning, organizing, and completing tasks.

These are some interesting ways to teach patience to your kids.

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties appear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams

To my surprise, Adi displayed all the traits listed above. He learned to model patience, encourage positive self-talk and practice gratitude on a daily basis

Kids also tend to be more tolerant of people who are different from them and more willing to try new things that adults might find intimidating or unappealing.

This trait of patience is particularly important in today's world, as it often leads to better outcomes both professionally and socially. For example, when faced with a difficult situation, children are more likely to take the time to explore different options and think through how they can solve the problem.

On the other hand, adults might be more likely to give up quickly if they don't get the desired result in a short amount of time.