Most parents would agree that there are times when they wish they had just stayed home. The kids are standing on their seats, talking loudly, whining, arguing etc. What is a parent to do?

There are fun ways to keep your kids busy until dinner arrives. My children are 9 and 14 and we still do these activities while waiting for our meal. These activities are not only fun for kids but also for parents.

I always recommend that parents bring paper and crayons with them to a restaurant. I am not saying to bring a box of 24 crayons with you and a huge tablet of paper. 5 colors and a few sheets of paper will suffice.

The activities listed below can help your child learn, as well as boost their creativity.

Communication Activities

• Eye Spy: Every time we go the TGI Fridays we play this game with our kids. There are lots of items displayed on the walls of this restaurant which make it the ultimate place to play Eye Spy.
• Words that start with……: Pick a topic like fruits, vegetables, animals, colors, or states. Really anything will work. Take turns around the table. For example, let's say we are going to name animals. Each person names an animal that begins with the letter A. When no one can come up with another animal that begins with the letter A, the next person starts with the letter B. Each time you play this game you will discover more items in each category that you forgot the last time you played. In playing this game with children you are challenging them, teaching them and it is fun.
• Person, Place, or Thing: One person selects a person, place, or thing. They give clues and the others need to guess what it is. Once it’s guessed the next person takes a turn.
• Jokes and Riddles: Have everybody tell a joke or a riddle while waiting for dinner.

Paper and Crayons Activities

• The Box Game: Make a grid with dots. Maybe 10 rows across and 10 rows down. Each person takes turns drawing a line and connecting two dots. Once you have formed a box you put your initial inside and continue to make as many boxes as you can. Your turn ends when the line you draw does not form another box. The person with the most boxes wins.
• Free Draw: Each person takes a crayon. Everyone takes turns drawing any type of line or symbol on the page. Continue drawing until the page is full. Make sure they are all connected together with lines. Take turns coloring it in the spaces using different colors. The idea is to create a stained glass look by the time it is finished. These are really neat looking and no two are ever the same.
• Hang Man: Hangman is always a fun game to play. For smaller kids start out with one word. For older kids use phrases.
• Tic Tac Toe: Great game that kids love.
• Guess It: Select a category such as animals, flowers, or people. See how far you get in drawing the object before someone figures out what it is.

Now going to out to dinner becomes an opportunity for family fun instead of a headache.

Enjoy your meal!

About the Author Jacqueline H. Blumenstock, Douglassville, PA  USA jblumenstock@thebigbrownbox.com Author, "Making New Friends" (More details about "Making New Friends ") Creator, Moms ME Zone Panelist, Modern Sage.

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