What games help my child practise waiting their turn naturally? 

Parenting Perspective 

Helping a child to practise waiting does not always have to involve long explanations; sometimes, play is the most effective teacher. Games provide a safe and joyful way for children to learn patience, self-control, and respect for the turns of others. When waiting is part of something fun, your child can absorb the lesson without realising they are practising an essential life skill. The goal is to help them experience that waiting can be peaceful and fair, not frustrating or lonely. 

Choose Games with Short, Predictable Turns 

Children learn best when they can see a pattern and anticipate their turn. Start with simple, fast-paced games that keep engagement high. 

• Card games like ‘Snap’ or ‘Uno’ are excellent, as the turns rotate quickly. 

• Dice-rolling games such as Ludo or Snakes and Ladders teach children to wait and watch for their next move. 

• Rhythm-based games like ‘Pass the Parcel’ or ‘Musical Statues’ teach timing and impulse control in a lively way. 

Before you begin, you can explain, ‘In this game, everyone gets a turn. We can cheer for each other while we wait.’ This helps your child to see that waiting is not wasted time, but a moment to support others. 

Try Cooperative Over Competitive Games 

Cooperative play teaches teamwork and the value of shared goals, which helps to reduce rivalry. Games that reward listening and patience rather than speed or winning are particularly helpful. You might try building a tower together, completing a puzzle as a team, or playing ‘Simon Says’. You could say, ‘Let us build this together. We can only add a block when it is our turn.’ The shared success helps children to feel that waiting contributes to the team’s goal. 

Use Everyday Moments for Mini-Games 

Waiting for dinner, standing in a queue, or taking a long car ride can all become opportunities for playful practice. 

• The Quiet Counting Game: Take turns counting to ten; whoever speaks out of turn has to start again. 

• The Listening Game: One person describes a sound they can hear, and the others have to guess what it is. 

• Story Relay: Each person adds one line to a story before passing it on to the next person. 

These simple games can transform ordinary moments into learning opportunities without any pressure. 

Praise the Waiting, Not Just the Winning 

Whenever your child waits calmly, notice it aloud. You could say, ‘I loved how you waited and smiled while your sister was having her turn.’ This reinforces that patience itself is valuable, a victory in its own right. The more you celebrate the act of waiting, the less your child will see it as a loss. 

Keep Turns Short and Age-Appropriate 

If the turns in a game are too long, a child’s frustration can easily take over. For younger children, turns should last no more than a minute. You can gradually increase the waiting time as your child matures. By building their success in small steps, you can help turn patience into a natural and practised habit. 

Spiritual Insight 

Play that teaches patience aligns beautifully with Islamic values. Islam encourages calmness, fairness, and joy in our shared experiences. Teaching children to take turns kindly is not just a matter of social etiquette; it is the training of the heart in sabr (patience), adl (justice), and rahmah (mercy). 

Fairness and Joy in the Noble Quran 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Hujuraat (49), Verse 10: 

‘Indeed, the believers are brothers (to each other); so, make peace with your brothers; and seek piety from Allah (Almighty) so that you may receive His Mercy.’ 

This verse reminds us that peace and mercy thrive when our relationships are nurtured through fairness. Every time children take their turns kindly, they are practising the spirit of peace and respect that Islam commands within families and communities. 

The Prophetic Example of Play and Kindness 

It is recorded in Jami Tirmidhi, Hadith 1921, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young and respect to our elders.’ 

This hadith shows that mercy and respect form the heart of a good character. When children wait patiently for their turn in a game, they learn both respect for the time of others and mercy toward those who go before them. As parents, turning the act of waiting into a game allows us to raise children who practise gentleness naturally. 

Every game that teaches turn-taking becomes a quiet act of parenting with purpose. When laughter and fairness are combined, waiting no longer feels like a loss, but like an act of belonging. Through simple play, you are nurturing a patience that will extend far beyond the game, into friendships, learning, and worship.