Keeping little kids busy in line

[ltkl7]

Looking for ideas to keep little kids busy while waiting in lines. We live close to Kings Island amusement park and I take them there quite often but usually the longest wait is at most 30 minutes. They are in for a rude awakening.

 

[quakechicago]

Not really. If you plan well and start early you can get several rides in without the lines being too long. There's also a ton of lines that have interactive things to do. My kiddo gets bored easily but WDW is sensory overload.

It's all in the planning. We also use ride max.

 

[cleophus12]

You didn't say what you mean by "little", but we always took Disney game books (sometimes available on the dollar aisle at Target). I would also recommend you always ave a snack on hand while in line. Someone in my group would invariably get hot and hungry while in line, and that is a tough combination. Goldfish are a great lifesaver even if you are on the dining plan. You can't get out of line to go buy a snack when someone gets hungry in a long line. Have fun.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I've never waited for more than 30 minutes in line at WDW! Are you going at a really busy time?

We go during low season (or regular), plan our days using EasyWDW, get to the parks early, loosely follow the recommended touring plan and rarely wait in lines longer than 15 minutes.

 

[Pinkos]

We went a few months ago, planned well, hardly ever waited more then 15 minutes. Time was easily passed talking about the attraction we just did it was about to do. However, some things I did do:

Before I went I bought some boxes of chewy candy, and a box of ziplock snack bags. I made up a bag of candy for each child for each day we were there. There wasn't much candy in each bag, but bc they were chewy - think mike and Ike's- they took a while to chew . Didn't have to use them in the lines but they came in handy when in long lines trying to exit the park.

Another thing I did was buy a box of pipecleanrs at the dollar store. Gave a few to each kid, and they could twist them into shapes, animals, letters, etc. Again, this was meant for line ups but we didn't have any, kids enjoyed it at hotel though and I can see them liking it in line as well.

And of course, we did look for hidden mickeys

 

[ValinWV]

Depending on the age of the kiddos.... We have found that playing Heads Up on the I Phone to be a great way to pass time in line.

 

[Alesia]

We always go when it's busy and rarely wait more than 20 minutes - never more than 30. If you have a good plan, waiting in line isn't an issue.

 

[disnut8]

Pipe cleaners. Cheap, easy, and bendable. And, if you lose one, you will have tons more. Plus, colorful and the kids can use their imagination.

 

[Nohal]

Pipe cleaners sound like a great idea. However granddaughter is 2 1/2 so I'm interested in what ideas others have for younger kids. First time for her at Disney and never had to wait in line for anything before.

 

[maxiesmom]

When the kids were younger we played a lot of I Spy in line. We also discussed our day, what we had fun doing, and what we were looking forward to.

 

[kj2mom]

We just got back and our longest wait was 30 minutes for Space Mountain at 11pm. In the morning we walked on to everything, had a nice sit down lunch then had our fast passes scheduled for afternoon so we could essentially keep walking on rides. We also found mid afternoon to be a great time to do some shopping, The stores were nice and cool and mostly deserted because the crowds were in line. When my kids were little I brought a bunch of paper doll type sticker books to pass the time when needed.

 

[ChelleFeegan]

@ValinWV we use heads up too, and the alphabet game - have ten things and have to name something that begins with a letter chosen by rest of the group ... It gets competitive

 

[WuvEeyore]

We took DD for her first visit when she was 2 1/2. Imagine Ink has a spiral bound coloring book that has a marker you fill with water that wets the pages and color shows up. It dries and then you can color again. No mess. Travel sized magna doodle. Snacks, lots of snacks.

 

[skuttle]

We never wait longer than 30 min with our kids. If the wait is longer than that, we move on and try to catch it later.

 

[ForMyBoys]

When my kids were really little I brought tiny bottles of bubbles that we could blow in line. I also bought little kaleidoscopes, the kids would spend time looking through them. I'm sure I can think of more, give me a few minutes.

 

[ForMyBoys]

DH reminded me that we used to sing silly songs while in line. We are into cub scouts so we have a few that seem to entertain the kids. A few favorites are listed below (you can probably google them and see them on you tube)

1. Throw it out the window
2. Pizza Man song (aka hey hey bo diddley bop)
3. Boom chicka boom

there are also a ton of repeat after me songs that are fun. This also seemed to entertain kids standing around us. We have no problem being goofy, I know singing songs isn't for everyone.

 

[nat8199]

We went a few months ago, planned well, hardly ever waited more then 15 minutes. Time was easily passed talking about the attraction we just did it was about to do. However, some things I did do:

Before I went I bought some boxes of chewy candy, and a box of ziplock snack bags. I made up a bag of candy for each child for each day we were there. There wasn't much candy in each bag, but bc they were chewy - think mike and Ike's- they took a while to chew . Didn't have to use them in the lines but they came in handy when in long lines trying to exit the park.

Another thing I did was buy a box of pipecleanrs at the dollar store. Gave a few to each kid, and they could twist them into shapes, animals, letters, etc. Again, this was meant for line ups but we didn't have any, kids enjoyed it at hotel though and I can see them liking it in line as well.

And of course, we did look for hidden mickeys

Pipe cleaners!!! That is the most brilliant idea ever!!!! I will definitely be buying a package or two add to my park bag. My husband will think that I am a genius when I pull them out!

 

[daisyduck123]

Not really. If you plan well and start early you can get several rides in without the lines being too long.
It's all in the planning.

This.

My family has spent over 100 days/nights in WDW and I don't think we've ever waited in a 30+ minute line....my kids would say, "No way, we'll wait for another day" before they'd ever agree to a wait like that.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Let a creepy stranger (like me) give them glow Sticks. We bring 100 just in case there's whining in line or on a bus.

 

[Nohal]

Let a creepy stranger (like me) give them glow Sticks. We bring 100 just in case there's whining in line or on a bus.

Great idea. Stickers work also.