Follows rules and takes turns
What it is
Plays a simple board or playground game by the rules, and can lose without falling apart most of the time.
Start preparing
- Choose games that finish in five minutes — losing is easier when the next round is close.
- Let them lose sometimes from the start; always letting them win makes real games unbearable later.
- Name the feeling and keep the rule: 'losing is horrible. The game still ends here.'
- Cooperative games are a good bridge before competitive ones.
Why it matters
Turn-taking, waiting and coping with losing are the school-readiness skills teachers name most often — more than letters or counting.
Related
Sources
- Learn the Signs. Act Early. — milestone checklists (2022 revision) — CDC / American Academy of Pediatrics
- Tipat Halav visit programme — Israel Ministry of Health
Compiled with AI assistance from the public sources listed above. Not yet reviewed by a clinician — check anything important against the source, with Tipat Halav or with your doctor.