How can I make board-game waiting easier for the child who hates slow turns? 

Parenting Perspective 

Board games are meant to bring families together, but for a child who hates waiting, they can feel like torture. The sighing, the tapping fingers, the impatient ‘Hurry up!’ all signal frustration with the pace, not with the game itself. What looks like impatience is often difficulty tolerating pauses. The child’s excitement surges faster than their self-control, and boredom feels unbearable. 

The objective is not to scold impatience but to train emotional pacing, the ability to stay engaged even when it is not their turn. Helping your child manage this teaches patience, empathy, and flexibility. 

Understanding the Real Struggle 

Children who struggle with waiting often experience strong internal energy. The thrill of the game activates adrenaline, making stillness uncomfortable. They cannot yet slow their body to match the game’s rhythm. Recognising this transforms your response from “Stop interrupting!” to “Let us practise staying calm between turns.” 

• ‘You really love your turn; it is exciting! Let us see how we can make waiting easier.’ 

Naming the emotion validates them while preparing for a solution. 

Making Waiting Active, Not Passive 

Boredom feeds frustration. Give the waiting child something gentle but purposeful to do between turns: 

• Designate a helper role: track the score, roll dice for others, or hand out cards. 

• Use a sensory anchor: a soft stress ball or fidget that keeps hands busy and body grounded. 

• Add a “quiet challenge”: count how many turns they can wait calmly and praise the effort. 

By turning waiting into activity, you replace impatience with participation. 

Create a “Waiting Phrase” 

Introduce a short, rhythmic phrase that the whole family can use: “Pause and breathe, my turn will come.” Practise saying it together before starting a game. This gives the waiting child a verbal anchor that soothes impatience. 

You can also include small breathing pauses between turns: “Everyone, deep breath before the next player goes.” This helps regulate the group’s collective energy. Before the game begins, calmly remind everyone: “We play with turns, and we wait with kindness.” 

Praise and Progress 

When your child manages to wait, even for a few seconds longer than before, notice it warmly: 

• ‘You waited so patiently, even when it was hard. That is great control.’ 

This recognition builds motivation. The child learns that waiting is not wasted time; it is growth in action. 

Spiritual Insight 

The noble Quran speaks of patience not only in trials but in ordinary, everyday restraint.¹ Teaching a child to wait during a game is a micro-practice of sabr, holding steady when desire pushes forward. 

Patience in Small Moments of Life 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Aalai Imran (3), Verse 200: 

‘O you who are believers, be patient, and be resilient, and be constant, and attain piety from Allah (Almighty) so that you may be successful.’ 

This verse shows that patience is communal; a shared encouragement. Family games become spiritual classrooms when you remind children that waiting their turn is not losing; it is practising steadfastness together. 

The Prophet’s ﷺ Example of Calm Moderation 

It is recorded in Al Adab Al Mufrad, Hadith 388, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The believer who mixes with people and endures their harm with patience is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not endure their harm.’ 

Even in play, this principle applies. Waiting for others’ slow turns mirrors patience with people, choosing composure over complaint. You can gently say, “When we wait calmly, we are practising patience like the Prophet ﷺ taught, staying kind even when it is hard.” Each quiet wait becomes spiritual training: faith through stillness, kindness through restraint.