Games That Help Kids Understand Complaining
Parents can grow accustomed to hearing the phrase "I'm bored" from their children. Parents and caregivers can combat the common behavioral issue of complaining by playing games with children that demonstrate the unattractive nature of complaining. Through these teaching games, children can understand how to get a point across without complaining.
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Role-Reversal Game
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Teach older children, from ages eleven and older, who have a habit of complaining, about why this behavior is negative through a role-reversal game. Discuss with the child about how whining is not an effective form of communication. Demonstrate this by instructing the child to act as a parent and tell them you are going to act like a child of their age. Act with exaggerated complaining. Have the child attempt to pacify your complaints. When they are unable to stop the complaining, quit the game and talk to the child about how they felt as they dealt with the complaining. By being on the opposite side of complaining behavior, the child will hopefully understand the negative connotation of this type of behavior.
Face Stickers
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When dealing with younger children, such as ages four through six, who are complaining or whining, allow them to take part in the behavior correction by making face stickers. Give the children blank stickers, such as printable address labels, and crayons. Show the kids how to draw complain faces on the stickers by simulating a sad or angry face. Along with the complain faces, also have the children draw smile faces on the stickers. Discuss what each face represents as far as behavior. For the remainder of the day, allow the children to give each other stickers when they are happy, sad, angry or complaining, so that they can learn to recognize these feelings and behaviors.
Can't Hear Complaints Game
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Kids between the ages of eight and eleven can understand why whining and complaining is a bad behavior through the "Can't Hear Complaints" game. If a child is complaining at a given point throughout the day, put your hands over your ears in an exaggerated fashion. Pretend you cannot hear them at all until they stop complaining. Do not acknowledge that you can hear them again until the child comes up with a way to communicate their desires to you in a way that does not include complaining. For example, if a child is complaining that they have nothing to play, do not "hear" them again until they approach you with a solution such as asking you to go to the park or to play a board game.
Whining Wand
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Children in early elementary school can learn to teach their peers about complaining through the whining wand. Use a magic wand, either a princess style for girls or a magician's fashion for young boys, and discuss why complaining is not a good behavior. If a child in a group whines or complains throughout a play date, school day or when at home, friends or siblings can grab the whining wand and playfully wave it around. When the kids see the whining wand, they will understand that it is good to wish away that behavior and act in a more positive manner. This game allows kids to learn about complaining with a more playful edge.
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