Books That Teach Patience for 6- to 8-Year-Olds
by Jennifer Garry
âJust a sec.â
âFive more minutes.â
âHold on!â
How many times have we uttered these words as parents and caregivers? And how many times have we been met with groans, eye rolls, tantrums, or all of the above? Patience is something that even the most Zen adults struggle with from time to time, so it should be no surprise that kids have a tough time with it, too.
If youâre looking to have a big talk (or even a tiny talk) about patience, these 10 kids’ books are a great place to start.
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Fairy Mom and Me #2: Fairy In Waiting
Buy from:Growing readers will adore this feel-good story about a young fairy whoâs impatient to grow up. Ella is tired of being a fairy in waiting. She wants to be a full-fledged fairy with real magic, like her mom. But Ella soon learns that being little has its advantages, and magic doesnât solve every problem.
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Finding François
Buy from:With instant messaging and modern technology, itâs easy to forget the simple pleasure of writing and waiting on old-fashioned letters. A little pig named Alice is lonely, so she does the only thing she can think of â place a note in a bottle and toss it into the river. This unlikely tactic works, and she strikes up a long-distance friendship with a dog named François. This lovely tale of friendship and patience will steal your heart.
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Wait a Minute
Buy from:Fuzz and Cork are two very different friends. Cork is a muskrat who is good at waiting for lots of things: for spring, for lunch, and for Fuzz to wake up. Fuzz is a possum who doesnât like to wait for a single thing. Even though one is patient and one is impulsive, they are best friends. This story follows their adventure chasing a yellow balloon.
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The Paper Kingdom
Buy from:When Danielâs Auntie canât come to babysit, the sleepy boy has to wake up and go with his parents to their job as nighttime office cleaners. While being woken up and dragged to work might leave any kid bored, frustrated, and angry, a little bit of magical storytelling from Danielâs parents helps transform the empty office into a magical paper kingdom with dragons and kings. This joyful book shows how a little imagination can make being patient much more manageable.
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Waiting for the Biblioburro / Esperando el Biblioburro
Buy from:Ana loves to read. When she wakes up one morning, she is thrilled to discover a traveling librarian who brings books on the backs of his donkeys to villages like hers. But waiting between visits is not easy. Luckily, Ana finds a way to make it more manageable. Based on the true story of a man in Columbia, this bilingual edition is in English and Spanish.
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Tad Lincolnâs Restless Wriggle
Buy from:One of the best ways parents can teach children about patience is through example. As a boy, Tad Lincoln was restless and wiggly, but that didnât bother his father, Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Tad accompanied his father to visit people all day and night. His fatherâs endless patience allowed Tad to share his kindness, generosity, and energy with others.
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Owl Moon
Buy from:A little girl has waited a long time to go owling with her father. As they walk through the forest, he hoots to call for the owls. Yolenâs lyrical text combine with Schoenherrâs dreamlike illustrations to highlight a quiet ritual, one in which practicing patience is rewarded by a magical experience with nature.
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Sophie's Squash
Buy from:When Sophie gets a squash at the farmers' market, she doesnât want to eat it. Instead, she names it Bernice, and the two become best friends. But when Bernice gets mushy and starts to rot, Sophie plants her and has to wait all fall and winter to see what happens. Itâs the perfect story for kids who are anxiously waiting for a garden to bloom.
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Five Minutes
Buy from:Five minutes sometimes feels like an eternity, and sometimes, it feels like the blink of an eye. This silly book follows a little boy and his family through a hectic day. Depending on whether heâs waiting in a long line or checking out animals at the pet store, he learns that perspective changes how long five minutes can feel. With hilarious illustrations, this book is excellent for a one-on-one read. It can serve as a humorous jumping-off point for conversations about patience and living in the moment.
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Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake
Buy from:After trying chocolate cake for the first time, Betty Bunny falls in love. She loves it so much that she wants to eat it all the time â but Mother says she has to eat dinner first. When Betty Bunny tries to jump straight to dessert, she ends up having to wait even longer. With great big emotions wrapped around a desire most kids can understand, this book is the perfect primer on patience.
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"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
Buy from:If thereâs any animal that can teach us a thing or two about living in the moment and enjoying a slower pace, itâs the sloth. The sloth does everything slowly, slowly, slowly, and the other animals canât understand why heâs so quiet, boring, and lazy. But he just likes the peace. This colorful story is the perfect antidote to a go-go-go, do-do-do attitude.
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