PatienceWaiting well

You need: Bubbles, or just your hands for imaginary ones

1. Stay close. Blow a few bubbles, or make a bubble shape with your hands.
2. Say, “Ready… steady…” and pause for a breath before the pop.
3. Pop it together with a clap and a cheer.
4. Make the pause a little longer each time, and stop if your toddler gets upset.

“Ready… steady… pop! We waited and it came.”

You need: Nothing

1. Sit your toddler on your lap or beside you.
2. Sing a short familiar song very slowly, swaying gently.
3. Then sing it a little quicker, then slow again.
4. End with a cuddle. Say, “Slow can feel nice.”

“Slow and soft. We have time.”

You need: A soft cloth and a toy

1. Show the toy, then put it under the cloth while your toddler watches.
2. Say, “Where is it? Let us wait…” and count slowly to three.
3. Lift the cloth together. “There it is!”
4. Repeat once or twice. Stop when your toddler is ready for something else.

“Where is it? We waited… There it is!”

You need: Nothing

1. Choose a short wait, such as a queue or the end of a song.
2. Say, “While we wait, let us wonder.” Take turns: “I wonder what colour the next bus will be.”
3. Keep wondering until the wait is over.
4. Ask, “Did the wait feel shorter?”

“While we wait, I wonder…”

You need: A little floor or garden space

1. Show how a snail moves: very, very slowly.
2. Walk like snails from one side of the room to the other.
3. Then walk like rabbits, then snails again.
4. Ask, “Which was easier? Which was nicer for a long wait?”

“Slow like a snail. We can be steady.”

You need: Nothing

1. Put one hand on your tummy and breathe in slowly.
2. Count to five while breathing out, showing one finger for each count.
3. Do it three times. Say, “Wait. Breathe. Wait.”
4. Try it next time there is a wait.

“Breathe in, count to five. I can wait.”

You need: Paper and a pencil

1. Draw a toolbox on paper.
2. Write or draw four tools in it: breathe, count, wonder, do something useful.
3. Add one idea of your own, such as a song or a stretch.
4. Choose a tool to try the next time you wait.

“Which tool will you choose next time you wait?”

You need: Paper and a crayon

1. Think of a skill you are learning, such as reading, drawing or tying shoes.
2. Draw three pictures: today, in a week, in a month. Make each one a little bigger or better.
3. Add a note about what you will do to help it grow.
4. Keep the paper and check it in a week.

“Slow things grow. What can I do to help?”

You need: Nothing

1. Read out short examples, such as, “Maya waits for her turn and sings quietly,” and, “Ben stops trying because it is slow.”
2. Children show a thumb up for patient and a thumb sideways for passive.
3. Ask, “What is the difference?” Patient is steady and still caring; passive gives up or does nothing.
4. Finish with one patient thing you will do today.

“Is that steady waiting, or giving up?”

You need: Paper and a pen

1. List three waits you face often, such as queues, group work or waiting for a reply.
2. Beside each, write what you feel and what you tend to do.
3. Write one new thing you could try for each: breathe, count, plan a task or ask a question.
4. Pick one to try this week.

“What is my body saying when I wait? What can I do?”

You need: A notebook

1. Pick a skill that takes time: an instrument, a sport or drawing.
2. Each day, spend ten minutes on it and write one line: what you tried and one small improvement.
3. On day seven, read the lines and notice progress.
4. Decide how you will keep going.

“What changed a little since the first day?”

You need: Groups of four and a simple task

1. Give each group a short task, such as building the tallest paper tower.
2. Set one rule: wait for each person to finish their sentence before you speak.
3. After the task, talk about when waiting was hard and what helped.
4. Share one tip from each group.

“What helped you wait for others to finish?”

You need: Paper and a pen

1. Think of a strong feeling you had recently, such as anger or worry.
2. Draw a wave that rises, peaks and falls. Mark roughly how long each part lasted.
3. Write what you did while it rose and fell, and what helped.
4. Choose one thing you could try next time while the wave passes.

“What helped while the feeling was rising?”

You need: Paper and a pen

1. Write one goal that will take months.
2. Break it into stages and mark rough dates for each.
3. Beside each stage, write one thing that will help you stay patient, such as a friend, a reward or a plan.
4. Pick your first step and date it.

“What is the next small step on the slow road?”

You need: A phone, if you like, or just paper

1. Think of a message you are waiting for.
2. Write what you feel while waiting and what you tell yourself.
3. Write two kinder, more balanced things you could tell yourself.
4. Choose something useful to do while you wait.

“What else could be true while I wait for a reply?”