Stuff Every Mom Should Know: Making a Long Wait Fun
Posted by Mom365 Special
We all know that keeping a little one busy during a long wait is tricky – if not stressful. Which is why authors Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss made sure to include some fun long-wait activities in their new book “Stuff Every Mom Should Know.” And why, on Day 4 of our Stuff Every Mom Should Know series, we’ve picked this one (click here for Days 1 to 3):
Making a Long Wait Fun
Nowadays, we all have smartphones loaded with apps, videos, and family photos to keep our kiddos happy. But doesn’t it always seem like the longest waits are completely unexpected? The trick is to be prepared, which includes always carrying a pen and scrap paper. Whether you’re standing in a line at a store or waiting for a table at a restaurant, here are a few tricks that can pass the time when the phone battery dies.
• Finger puppets. Use a pen to draw some faces on your fingertips and create an impromptu finger-puppet show.
• Racetrack. Use that same pen to draw a road or city scene on a piece of paper. Use coins from your purse as cars or characters in the adventure you and your child invent.
• I spy . . . Even little kids easily catch on to this fun guessing game. Find an object and provide a hint: “I spy with my little eye, something that is blue,” and then everyone guesses what it is. This oldie but goodie is perfect for waiting rooms and traffic jams.
• Car games. See page 119 for a refresher on a few car games that can be modified for standing around.
• Spoon on the nose. Need a classy distraction during a long wait at a restaurant? Wipe your thumb across the inside of a metal spoon, breathe hard on it (like you’re saying, “HAH!”), then dangle it from your schnoz.
For more information about this book, take a look at the publisher’s website and browse their new online family and parenting community, Raising Quirk.
To enter to win one of 5 copies of Flett and Moss's quirky book (a perfect shower gift, btw), tell us a little about what you think every mom should know in the comments box below. We'll pick a winner a day and announce them all on July 9!
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