What does patience look like to you? What does it look like through the eyes of a toddler?

What does patience look like to you? What does it look like through the eyes of a toddler? Do we really understand what a toddler needs and wants? Are we giving them time to grow and develop in a nurturing and holistic way?

Modelling patience allows toddlers to:

• Learn how to communicate with others around them

• Develop their abilities to take turns and share resources with other children around them.

• Develop their concentration skills

• Develop their ability to listen and follow simple instructions or directions, such as ‘tidy up your toys and then you can go outside’.

Tips4Toddlers - A Guide to Help Develop Your Child's Patience

1. Start small then get bigger. Toddlers have short attention spans so do not expect them to wait hours for something.

2. Be realistic. Instead of giving a toddler something straight away, pause for a few minutes before giving them what they want. Pretend that you are busy, ie ‘I’m just unloading the dishwasher and then I’ll be with you’. By doing this it will develop their patience in waiting as well as developing their listening and attention skills.

3. Teach self control. Develop toddlers ability to control their emotions. Again, toddlers are learning how to understand their emotions. Frustration may be a consequence of lack of spoken language. Reassure toddlers that it is ok to be cross and that they need to be patient before they will get what they want.

4. Implement a ‘now and next’ approach. “I am doing this now and then you can do that”.

5. Talk about their emotions. Explain what is happening in simple sentences

6. Turn taking - Developing their ability to take turns and share resources with others helps to develop their patience. It takes time and through repetition toddlers can learn to share and in so doing it develops their concentration and patience.

Photo byNathan DumlaoonUnsplash