Waiting
Waiting can be difficult when your child does not know:
How long do I wait?
What happens when waiting ends?
What can I do while I wait?A visual can make those questions clearer.
But understanding the idea is only the beginning.
Waiting becomes a skill through many small, successful experiences in everyday life.
Teach what waiting means
Keep the concept simple:
I stop for now → I wait → something happens next
The SteadyHand Waiting Visual teaches stopping for now, staying settled and waiting until it is the child’s turn. It also shows different endings to a wait: a timer finishing, a turn arriving or an adult saying “your turn.”
Your child does not need to understand long periods of waiting at first.
They need to understand:
Waiting has a beginning — and an end.
Start very small
The resource recommends beginning with very short waits, using timers or visual cues, showing what the child can do while waiting and noticing successful waiting.
Try:
Wait 5 seconds → bubbles
Wait 10 seconds → favourite toy
Wait briefly → your turn
At the beginning, make what comes after the wait clear and worthwhile.
A preferred activity, favourite item or highly valued turn can help the child learn:
“I waited — and something good happened.”
Once that pattern is familiar, gradually increase the wait.
Show what happens during the wait
Waiting does not have to mean doing absolutely nothing.
Your resource gives children options such as:
- take a deep breath
- count slowly
- keep hands busy
- watch and wait
A timer can also make an invisible wait more concrete.
Instead of repeatedly saying:
“Wait, wait, wait…”
try:
“Wait until the timer. Then bubbles.”
Your waiting support
Waiting Visual Support
US$3.90
A visual teaching pack for introducing what waiting means and practising the skill in everyday situations.
The pack includes:
- parent guidance for teaching waiting
- how to start with short waits
- a simple explanation of waiting
- different ways a wait can end
- visual timer guidance
- a My Waiting Body page
- ideas for what to do while waiting
- a simple Waiting Reminder visual
The resource also includes a suggested progression from 10 seconds → 1 minute → 5 minutes, reinforcing the idea that waiting should be built gradually rather than expected all at once.
Best for:
Children who need waiting to be made visible, predictable and easier to practise.
The visual teaches the concept. Everyday practice builds the skill.
Build from success
Once your child can manage a short wait:
increase the time slightly
then practise waiting in different situations:
- for a snack
- for a favourite activity
- for another person’s turn
- while something is prepared
- before leaving
- in a queue
Do not jump from 10 seconds to 10 minutes.
Small successes matter.
First make waiting achievable. Then make it longer. Then make it more flexible.
Make the ending worth waiting for
At first, use clear and meaningful outcomes.
As waiting becomes more familiar, everyday outcomes — getting a turn, reaching the front of the queue, receiving the snack, starting the activity — can increasingly become the natural reason to wait.