TinyStepper
Parent and curly-haired toddler cuddled on a green sofa reading a picture book together

Waiting Game Toolbox

Teach three specific waiting games your toddler can request during queues, traffic, or boring grown-up moments.

Activity details

2y–4y10 minslowbothNo prep

Instructions

Get ready
  • At home, teach Game 1 — I Spy: 'I spy with my little eye... something RED'
  • Teach Game 2 — Finger Counting: 'How many cars can we count? Use your fingers!'
  1. At home, teach Game 1 — I Spy: 'I spy with my little eye... something RED'
  2. Teach Game 2 — Finger Counting: 'How many cars can we count? Use your fingers!'
  3. Teach Game 3 — Statue Game: 'When I say freeze, make a funny shape!'
  4. Practise each game for a few minutes at home
  5. Name the collection: 'These are your waiting games!'
  6. Next time you are in a queue, offer the choice: 'Which waiting game shall we play?'
  7. Let your toddler choose and initiate: 'You want I Spy? Great — you go first!'
  8. After successful waits, reflect: 'You used your waiting game — the queue went so fast!'

Parent tip

Start before you overthink it. No-prep activities work best when you begin while the moment is still recoverable.

Relaxed child lying on a floor cushion with blanket and pinwheel in a cosy calm corner

What success looks like

A few quiet minutes together without pressure. If your child relaxes even slightly, that’s self-regulation building.

Teach your toddler three go-to games for waiting: 'I spy' (colours for younger, letters for older), 'finger counting' (count everything you can see of one type), and 'statue game' (freeze in a funny pose). Practise all three at home first, then deploy them during real waits. The key is that your toddler can request them: 'Shall we play I spy?' Having a toolbox of self-initiated waiting strategies is independence in its purest social form — managing your own behaviour in a difficult situation.

Why it helps

The EYFS framework identifies developing positive relationships and learning to play cooperatively as key milestones in personal, social and emotional development. Self-regulation strategies are most effective when they are self-initiated rather than parent-imposed. Teaching a 'toolbox' of named, practised strategies gives toddlers the metacognitive skill of recognising 'I need to wait' and selecting an appropriate coping strategy. This is executive function in action — the same skill set needed for emotional regulation, impulse control, and flexible thinking.

Variations

  • Add a fourth game: 'storytelling' — take turns adding one sentence each to a silly story.
  • Create a 'waiting game card' that lives in your bag — your toddler picks one at random.
  • Let your toddler invent their own waiting game to add to the toolbox.

Safety tips

  • Keep games genuinely quiet and contained in public spaces — avoid anything that involves running or shouting.
  • Adjust expectations to age — younger toddlers may only manage one game before needing physical comfort.
  • Always have a backup plan (snack, cuddle) for when waiting exceeds their capacity.

Want to try another?

Sitting and Listening Game

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