Patience Practise Games

Patience is a learnable skill that requires explicit instruction and meaningful practice. Games provide low-stakes opportunities to develop this essential life skill.

Objectives

Materials

Instructions

Introduce patience as a character strength: 'Champions of Character know how to wait calmly for their turn. It's not always easy, but we can practise and get better! Today we're going to play Patience Games!'

Discuss what patience looks like: 'When we're being patient, our bodies are calm, we're not grabbing or pushing, and we're thinking positive thoughts like 'My turn will come soon.' What else shows patience?'

Teach waiting strategies: deep breathing, counting slowly, watching others and learning from them, doing a small activity (squeezing a stress ball, looking at a book). Practise each strategy together.

Introduce games that require waiting: Hot Potato (waiting for the music to stop), Red Light Green Light (waiting for commands), Duck Duck Goose (waiting to be chosen), board games with clear turns.

Play games while explicitly practicing patience. When children get antsy, remind: 'Use your waiting strategy! Take a deep breath. Your turn is coming!' Praise patient waiting: 'Look how calmly you're waiting. That's champion-level patience!'

Reflect after games: 'What helped you wait patiently? What was hardest about waiting? How did it feel when your turn finally came?'

Educator tip

Acknowledge that waiting is hard! 'I know waiting feels like forever. That's normal. You're doing such a good job using your strategies!' Validation combined with expectation builds skill.

Assessment

Observe and note: ability to follow two-step instructions, use of new vocabulary in context, early problem-solving strategies, and sustained shared thinking episodes. Assess against Development Matters age-band expectations. Observe waiting behaviours during games, use of self-regulation strategies, and improvement over time.

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