Waiting is something that most children dislike. Notice how your tot throws a tantrum, gets loud and whiny or fidgety, when she has to await her turn at the paediatrician or at the grocery store? Before you label her a spoilt brat, hold it! Toddlers simply don’t have the ability to delay gratification. A minute seems a lifetime when she’d rather be somewhere else! So, how do you manage her impatience?

Here are six simple ways to build your child’s patience.

Skip

You know how cranky your toddler gets when her meal is delayed and when she’s tired. So, avoid making doctor’s appointments or taking her along on shopping errands too close to her meal or sleep time. Though regular practices will help her develop patience, such times aren’t the best to impart training!

Dance

To distract your little one who is tugging at your skirt to get away, dare her to some physical activity. You can say, “Now let’s see you hop like a frog, or dance like Michael Jackson, or walk on your heels.” She will be thrilled to play with you and will stop whining – for a while at least.

Play

Your tot loves to play and have some fun! So, grab her attention by playing fast and easy games like counting the red, blue, or green items in the waiting room, or ‘Simon Says’. She will lose herself in the game, quite forgetting that she’s been kept in queue!

Joke

Put on your ‘silly’ hat and watch your tot take an instant delight to your new avatar! So, screw on different faces – smiling, happy, confused, sad – and she’ll laugh her guts out, without a care for what’s happening around her! You could also sing her favourite song with a funny twist or re-tell her favourite story.

Parcel the parcel

For long, stuck-in-the queue situations, carry along your chil’s favourite snack, toy, or coloured pencils. Taking along a board game like ‘Snakes and Ladders’ or a picture book is also a great idea. The two of you could even flip through a family photo album or your cellphone pictures to allow time to pass pleasantly.

Praise

When you praise your toddler for her good behaviour, she feels like a super achiever! She will repeat it because your appreciation makes her feel loved and wanted. So, the next time she patiently waits in the grocery line busying herself with a Rubik’s cube, don’t forget to shower those praises.

Follow these practices, and you’ll soon have a tot who loves accompanying you on long waits!