Here are “The Essentials”: deck of cards, shoestring, non-latex balloon, couple sheets of blank paper, pencil; and small ball of non-drying modeling clay. All of this can fit into a sandwich size Zip-loc bag and slide in a side pocket of your purse.
I have had several mom’s ask me, “What can I do with my child when we are in the waiting room, standing in line, or waiting for food at a restaurant?” There is no doubt that kids have lots of energy - they should! That is how they are made! However, sometimes it is imperative that we harness that energy in down times in public situations. Here are a few ideas to use “the essentials” that every mom needs in her bag of tricks to help keep your child occupied and use re-routed expendable energy whenever the need arises.
Deck of Cards: Even the youngest Pre-K child can use a deck of cards to match numbers, shapes, colors, etc. You can sort the deck for memory game pairs, counting games (i.e. How many shapes are on this card?), and number recognition games [i.e. flash card style and if they don’t recognize the number they can count the shapes (need to take out face cards for this game)]. For older kids card games could include addition, subtraction, sorting high to low/low to high, Go Fish, etc. A deck of cards can become a prompt for an ongoing made up story using the the characteristics of the card flipped (number, shape, color) of the flipped card [i.e. begin story by flipping over a card on top of the pile (2 of diamonds) - Story begins “There were 2 red foxes digging a den in the forest when they happened upon a buried treasure. Inside the old wooden box were a handful of diamonds .... (next persons turn to flip a card and add to the story)... (continue on taking turns)...]
Shoestring: With this fabulous bit of string you can do the “string” games (i.e. cat’s cradle, Jacob’s ladder, etc). Tie a loop in one end of the string, hold it on the opposite end and swing it gently like a pendulum, see if your child can stick their finger inside the loop as it swings by. (Have a competition between kiddos if you have more than one - how many in a row can you get your finger through?)
Balloon: A balloon can be used in certain situations only as this is not a small space solution activity. Blow up the balloon and use it to play balloon volleyball. Sit “criss-cross applesauce” position, find something to use for a “net” (chair, table) and bat the ball back and forth. This activity can be rowdy so it should be used when only a small space is available but noise is not a deterring factor.
Paper and Pencil: This is an old staple for keeping kiddos busy but here are a few ideas you might not have considered - trace the path (make a swirly wiggly path and have your child trace it accurately the way you drew it); draw half of a picture/shape and have your child complete the other half the same; “squares” game (dots placed in a grid and each person takes turns connecting the dots to try to complete a square, put your initial inside the square if you make the last connecting line, see who can get the most squares); hangman; anagram (write a long word and have your child find smaller words from the letters); fold paper airplane
Modeling Clay: Non-drying modeling clay is an amazing toy because imagination can bloom. Try making an animal or shape and having the other person guess what you made. Create an elaborate design with lots of detail or just form the basic outline. Use it to exercise your fingers rolling small balls from flat pancakes.
As an added bonus here is a game that does not require any tools other than brain power. It is for children old enough to spell. The game is called “GHOST” (you could give it any name you choose really). To play you try not to be the person who spells a word. Start with the first person saying a letter, and each person takes a turn adding a letter (accumulation of the letters) trying not to spell a word when you add your letter. Keep up with the letters others before you have said. If you spell a word with the letter you add, then you get a “letter” from the word “GHOST”. The first person to get all the “GHOST letters is out. (i.e. the first person would not want to use “a” or “I” because those letters form a word by themselves; if the first letter is “o” adding a “b” is good but adding a “f” or “n” would spell a word).
Have a blast during those waiting down times rather than dreading them! It is great one-on-one time with your child when you play together to occupy your time.
Cynthia Montana, MOT, OTR
SPOTS - Suggs Pediatric Outpatient Therapy Services
www.spotstx.com
12810 Hillcrest Road, Suite B-100
Dallas, Texas 75230
(972) 404-1718
cynthiamontana@spotstx.com
SPOTS is the premier Sensory, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Occupational and Physical Therapy Center for Children in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Our main clinic and in school clinics (located at the private schools of Oakhill, Winston and Parish) meet a variety of theraputic needs for children in the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and North Dallas Area.