Four best ways to turn a restaurant outing into toddler teaching timeKatie Quirk Create your own dinner theaterLearning language is one of your tot's top priorities, and every time you talk to your toddler, you're inching him a little closer to his goal of speech. Use the time waiting for your food to arrive to engage in some chatter together.Nursery rhymes, especially those with accompanying finger plays such as"The Itsy Bitsy Spider," are the most convenient educational distraction you have, requiring no accessories. Alternatively, pack some finger puppets and perform a quick and easy story for your captive audience.Shake up the sugar caddyToddlers love emptying containers onto the table or ground and replacing the contents piece by piece - they're learning that one object can hold another, and that they can empty something by dumping it out. This kind of educational play isn't as restaurant-unfriendly as it might seem; in fact, your dinnertable offers the perfect accessory to this game: the sugar-packet caddy. Slide it over to your tot and watch as she empties and restocks (repeatedly, nodoubt). Coach slightly older kids in counting and sorting the packets by color. Just remember to tidy up and tip generously!Colorful distractionsJust a few months ago, your tot treated restaurant crayons like part of the meal. Now, crayons provide colorful entertainment while also assisting in the development of essential fine motor skills - i.e. grasping and holding. Plus, drawing (er, scribbling) helps foster a babe's imagination and creativity. So pass the time while waiting for your food by pulling out the art supplies.Though servers in most restaurants can usually rustle up a few crayons, it's best to stash an eight-pack and some scrap paper or a coloring book in your diaper bag for an easy and portable distraction that you can pull out any time.Build something!Blocks: they're a classic and ubiquitous toy found in all children's stores, and for good reason - kids love to stack them up and knock them down, while learning useful lessons in sorting and cause-and-effect. A recent study found toddlers who played blocks with a parent for 20 minutes a day benefited verbally as well, to the tune of 15% higher on language development tests. A restaurant table provides the perfect platform for a block pileup - just be sure to move water glasses, bread plates and flatware out of the way of tumbles. Beyond stacking and destroying, your toddler might also be inspired to sort blocks by color and size, or to tap on them with a spoon.