Srabani S.

Very important: To teach patience-stretching, you must have something your child wants (food, a toy, etc.). Once you have that, follow these simple steps:
First, almost give her what she wants. Let’s say your 1-year-old interrupts you, asking for juice. Stop what you’re doing and repeat back, “Juice! You want juice!” Start to hand her the juice. But then suddenly hold up one finger and exclaim, “Wait! Wait! Just one second!” as if you just remembered something important. Turn away and pretend to look for something.
Next, the “payoff.” After just a few seconds, turn back and immediately give your child the juice, praising her, saying, “Good waiting! Good waiting!” Quickly rewarding your child’s patience teaches her that waiting isn’t so bad and that Mommy always keeps her word. Little by little, stretch the waiting time more and more (5 seconds, then 10…30…60, etc.).
If you practice this every day, your child will be able to wait a minute or two (or more) within a week. Patience-stretching will build your tot’s self-control, one step at a time. Timers help toddlers practice patience. During a calm period, show your toddler how the timer works: “See! And when Mr Dinger says ding! (make it chime) then Mommy comes back fast!”