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4 No-Tech Activities For Children During Waiting Times

The scene could be a grocery store, in the car, at a restaurant or at home on a cold day.  Your child is bored and wants something (food, to leave, etc.) and you tell them to wait. When they have a tantrum, parents often turn to electronics to appease their child.

While this seems like a great idea in the moment, it can be negative in the long term. Here is why:

When children are using a device they are missing out on:

  • Learning how to entertain themselves
  • Building focus skills
  • Acquiring and increasing their communication skills

Next time you find yourself in this predicament, try these 4 ways to teach your child to learn patience while using items that are beneficial to their development!

1. Be Prepared

Have a box or bag filled with items such as books, coloring paper/pencils, and small toys that you know your child will enjoy.

2. Make “Waiting Cards”

an idea from Carrie Clark, SLP,  that is simple but effective.  Write questions on index cards to ask your child.  For example, target animal sounds – “what does a cow say?”, body parts –“show me your nose”, and following directions – “clap your hands.”  For older kids make more difficult “Waiting Cards,” including two step directions, pretend skills – “pretend to brush your teeth”, rhyming words, what’s different pictures, etc.

3. Make up a story

Kids love using their imagination, and you can build story telling skills and enhance creativity by making up a story about things in your environment.

4. Play a version of hide-and-seek

This is particularly useful at a restaurant. You can hide small items found on the table and have your child find them.  Provide clues that work on concepts such as under, behind, in front, or beside (ex: “look under the cup”).  You can work on taking turns and having the child hide items as well.

The important thing to remember is that there are other activities you can do to engage your child and help them learn how to wait besides turning to electronic devices.

At first, many of these activities are parent directed, but as the child gets older they can do more of these activities on their own (example: reading the “Waiting Cards” instead of having the parent read them).

Learning patience and waiting is a tough skill to teach these days when we are wired for immediate gratification.  I encourage you to try one of these ideas next time you’re out and see how your child responds!

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Crystal Scheibe

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Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

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My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

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My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

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They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
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