If you found yourself on this page, then you likely have dealt with tantrums due to having to wait. You are probably asking yourself what you can do to help alleviate fits thrown while teaching kids how to wait. I have some suggestions!
Consider wait time. If your child is new to waiting, then having him wait for long periods of time may not set him up for success. Think of It as being a new runner and being expected to run a marathon on the first jog. You need to work up to longer wait times but starting small to build up tolerance. Start with a simple wait time such as 5 seconds and go from there.
Use visuals! Visuals can include a timer on your phone or even just simply using your fingers to count down wait time. This provides a signal that wait time does come to an end and a preferred item or activity will become available.
Lastly, distract with something else. Waiting can even be hard for adults. What do you find yourself doing when waiting at a doctor’s office? Probably playing on your phone or reading a magazine aka distracting yourself while waiting. Distractions help kids cope with waiting too!
Parenting Playbook 