Easy & Fun Ways to Teach Turn Taking to Kids

Are your kids having trouble taking turns? Turn taking is an important skill we must teach our kids and we’ve listed five fun and easy ways you can help them learn it. See our turn taking games too!

Are your kids interrupting and talking over one another? It must be time to teach them the important social skill of turn taking. While it’s true that some adults have yet to learn it, as a child, being able to take turns helps develop friendships and communicate with others.

Remember back to when you were little and bursting to tell your Mum some news? Alternatively, when you saw the cool new toy your friend was using, and wanted to try it out yourself? Turn-taking isn’t a naturally acquired skill, which makes it vital that as parents we specifically teach our kids how to do it. The problem is though, nobody likes taking turns, especially kids. The good news is that there are some great fun things you can do to make learning this skill a lot easier for everyone.

5 Ways to Teach Kids About Turn Taking (h2)

I don’t know about you, but I find waiting in lines annoying. I mean, I want to do something now, so why should I stand here behind everyone else who is also wanting to do the same thing? Shouldn’t I have every right to head to where the action’s happening and do it now?

Kids often feel the same way about turn taking, with the difference being that as adults, we know that is socially unacceptable behaviour. That’s why we’ve made a list of five fun ways you can help your children to learn how to take turns:

1. Share a social story – a social story is a tale which explains how people have done something. A turn-taking social story will have at least two characters, one who is learning how to take turns. We found one you can download and read to your child.
2. Use a timer – a timer is a great visual tool for kids to use. If Betty is on the swing and Simon wants a turn, he turns the timer over and watches Betty’s time run out. When the time is up, both kids see it is time to move.
3. Games – there are many great games which teach taking turns: the Tumble Tower Game (Jenga) is perfect for this.
4. Talking stick – if you have a large family, you could introduce a talking stick. If you hold the stick, it’s your turn to talk and others must listen.
5. Role modelling – now before you say this is boring, you can make this incredibly funny! Kids love to see their adults being silly and if you and your partner create a skit demonstrating what not to do, it will be hilarious! Don’t forget to role model the appropriate response too.

We have many other wonderful games perfect for teaching and practising the social skill of turn taking. Even better, you can order directly from our online toy store today.