Patience
“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV
One of the times my children struggle with patience is when I am making food for them. Suddenly, they are nipping at my heels. “I’m hungry!” “I want…” are among their many pleas. Today, I decided to teach during that time, and what I did was simple. I had them go get their little red chairs and sit in the kitchen with me. They were not allowed to ask for anything or move from their chairs. They were to just sit there with patience. I set the timer for the amount of time I thought it would take me to finish up their meal. They did really well with it. I know other friends who have their kids just practice sitting for a set amount of time. I think it’s a really good lesson in patience to just learn to sit and be. I know that I’m not good at it, so maybe I should set a timer for myself.
Have you ever just had your children sit for a given amount of time to teach them how to sit still without squirming? I’d love to hear your experience. It’s sometimes hard to know how much to expect out of children. How long is an a reasonable amount of time where they can learn to just sit? It’s hard to find the perfect balance because children’s brains really are developing through movement. I like to believe that means my kids are going to be really smart because they seem to be constantly going. While I do believe that it is important to give kids ample opportunities to move around as that is part of the developmental phase, I also believe that we are in the process of teaching them how to have self-control over their bodies too. Therefore, I think it is healthy to give spurts of time where they are learning to sit still in a chair with patience, which was our exact focus today.
Awesome idea! I need to practice teaching patience more instead of just telling my boys to “be patient” Thanks for the reminders and tips!
Trina
This is a great idea. I started this yesterday for my four year old son, who is a bit impatient and is also struggling to sit still at circle time. Thanks for the tip!
You are so welcome. For some kids it definitely is more of a challenge. I know I have squirmers, so we have had to work more at it. I hope it goes well, and thank you for checking in.