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How to Teach Children Patience and Tolerance
Tips for Teaching Patience
- Do not expect children to understand vague responses when they ask you a question.
- If a child asks you when he or she can do something and you say “in a little while” or “in a minute” he or she will become confused and will keep asking.
- Give your child a meaningful and concrete answer to help him or her understand when something is going to happen. This can be telling a young child “when Mommy is through folding clothes” or “when Daddy gets home from work.” When speaking to an older child it could be something like “you can do that when school is over on Friday” or “we will do that at seven o’clock.”
- Follow through with what you have told your children.
- If you have told a child that you would play with him or her after dinner, make sure to do it.
- If you do not follow through with your promises, children will have a difficult time learning about patience. This can cause your child to whine and be very demanding.
- Give your children something to do with their time while they are having to wait.
- Praise your child when he or she has shown patience.
Tips for Teaching Tolerance
- Teach your children at a young age that everyone is different, special and beautiful.
- This can be demonstrated to young children by showing them different colors of flowers, plants, birds, people, dolls, dogs, cats, etc.
- This can be pointed out in older children by teaching them about different cultures, races, societies, religions and belief systems.
- Use things in your daily life to show your child about the differences in people.
- This can be demonstrated through a television show, book, movie or simply walking through a mall.
- Teach a child that no two people think or feel the same way about something. Teach a child to respect the feelings of another.
- If you are present when your child sees or hears someone, or a group, being stereotyped, tell your child that it is wrong to generalize people and put them in categories.
- Teach your child not to make fun of how someone looks, acts, talks or dresses. Explain to your child that it hurts the other person.
- Never allow your child to talk “down” about other people, or to people.
- Let your child see that you are active in your community and friendly with people who are different from you.
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