Children can be fairly energetic and at times even sitting still for just 5 minutes may be a challenge for them. This is besides watching the television of course! Getting your child to sit quietly is something they can learn to do. With a little practice and patience on your behalf, it is something that can be taught at home and in no time, you should be able to get those little angels to sit tight!
So why is it important for your child to learn to sit still? Just like adults, children too need to stop and unwind. They are constantly being stimulated by the environment around them and at a young age, it can get overwhelming for them!
Some benefits of a child who learns to sit still:
- They will know how to sit still during outings (ie, sitting still during mass or grocery shopping)
- The child does not constantly need to be stimulated and learns to entertain himself
- They use a different set of skills during quiet activity (ie, practice their fine motor skills)
- It often involves their concentration to stay focused on a task
- It gives your child some time alone for himself
- Some quiet time for mum
- Can be good preparation when they will need to sit at their desks when start school
A helpful tip is to get your kids up and about before they have to sit down for their quiet activity. Encourage them to run around and play outside so they use up their energy. I found that my children are physically tired and more ready to sit down this way.
These are some activities I use which help my children have some quiet ‘sitting’ time:
Letter Writing:
As long as your child can hold a pencil in her hand, this activity should not be a problem. I get both my kids (2 and 3 yrs old) to sit up in high chairs side by side. They choose who they are going to write a letter to (Grandma, Daddy, each other etc) and usually begin by squiggling on the paper and drawing random lines or shapes. I found that giving them lined paper, helps them to make more sense of letter writing and they attempt to keep their squiggles in the lines. In the beginning you may have to prompt them to write more or encourage them to draw a picture below.
When they have finished their ‘writing’, I read what they written aloud ( making it up of course…eg: Dear Grandma, I can’t wait to come and play at your house!…) I place a recycled stamp on their letters and they get to post their letters in a letterbox (a cereal box covered in coloured paper with a hole cut out).
You could also try teaching them shapes and colour’s during this time. Offering a colouring book is also a fun alternative for younger children.
Listen To An Audio CD:
Alternatively to watching television, listening to an audio CD lets the child use their imagination to picture what is happening in a story. You can make this an exciting part of their day, where the kids curl up on the couch with a blanket and their favourite soft toy. Putting a blanket on them can help them to remember to stay seated. If they jump off the couch, try to sit next to them for a minute or two until they are engaged in the CD again. This activity works particularly well just before bed as it helps their little bodies to be calm and settled.
Puzzles:
Doing puzzles can help a child with their concentration, perseverance and fine motor skills. It encourages them to think of ways they must rearrange the pieces to fit together, recognise patterns, shapes and colours. This also provides them with a great sense of accomplishment once they have achieved it. A 3 year old child may start off with a 3 to 6 piece jigsaw puzzle; but with time and practice he may be able to complete a 24 piece puzzle with a little assistance and encouragement.
Long Bath Time: 
This activity may be tricky if you do not have the time to sit next to your children and watch them in the bath. Although it can be a great opportunity for them to spend some quality time with you or with Dad, if he is home. My kids hardly have any store-bought toys in their tub. Instead, it is filled with old shampoo containers, old baby bottles and yoghurt tubs (you can poke holes at the bottom of the tubs to create a watering can effect). Children also have great fun with empty sauce bottles, refilling them and squirting them at one another. Pouring, refilling and measuring can help your child to work on their fine motor skills. It creates a mess free environment where you children can have all the water fun they want!
Story Time:
For a long time, I assumed my children did not enjoy listening to stories because they never sat still. What I realised was that I was not reading to them enough; they did not know how to sit still and enjoy a book. During story time, you may find that your child may seem disinterested, distracted or even climb all over you while you are reading to them. Using an exaggerated tone and lots of facial expressions, pointing out characters and items on the pages can help engage them, also ‘making up’ the story or simplifying it in-your-own-words can help them to comprehend the story aswell. Choosing age appropriate books can really help them to become “book lovers” from a young age. Lift the flap books are always a hit aswell as ‘touch and feel’ books for younger children. It can be hard to create the habit to read daily, but at least try to get one story in! Eventually they will learn to sit quietly and enjoy being told stories or even begin looking at books on their own.
Cutting Wrapping Paper:
Sit your kids at a table or on the floor. Give them pieces of recycled wrapping paper with large prints such as shapes, balloons or animals so it is easy for the kids to see what they are cutting. I purchased them each a pair of child friendly scissors for just $2 (made of plastic but still cuts paper). While they are seated, give your child an empty container. Encourage them to cut out shapes from the wrapping paper and fill their container.
This is such a simple activity but very effective and great for their concentration. When I first began this activity, I put both my children in high chairs to prevent them from wandering off. Now they are happy to sit on the floor engaged in what they are doing.
Gluing Wrapping Paper:
Another simple activity using wrapping paper or cellophane. Is using those cut up pieces of paper in the previous activity (or cutting it yourself prior). Making a simply paste from flour and water, giving each child 1 cotton tip and piece of A4 paper, then allowing them to stick the cut up wrapping paper to the page.
You can create so many beautiful little artistic creations for grandparents or relatives, and it is so simple your toddlers can do it.
The end result will be as beautiful as the paper you chose to cut up. Additionally you could cut out the cute images from old birthday cards, colourful tissue paper, or images from your junk mail! What ever you have in the house can be re-used.
Your toddlers will be engaged and fascinated with this new fun activity.
Pasta race:
If you have one child completing this activity, you will need a bowl of dried pasta spirals and a recycled yoghurt container. Cut a small hole, (just wide enough so the pasta fits through). Place the lid back on the container. Get your child to fill the whole container with the pasta, using the small hole. I like to set an alarm clock so there is an element of excitement of how fast they can go! If you have two or more children completing this activity, simply double or triple the materials and let them race each other. Its great fun!
Once your children have learnt to sit quietly, going out becomes so much easier and a lot less stressful. When the children have to sit in the trolley during grocery shopping, wait at the doctors, sit quietly during mass, sit in restaurants or endure a long car ride, it is much easier for them!
These are just a few activities listed which help my children to sit still and quietly for a period of time. Do you have any that you would like to share? We would appreciate any comments below!
Originally posted 2014-04-07 22:48:35.