Entertaining the kids while waiting

[FourLeafClover]

Looking for ideas to keep DD entertained while waiting in line for rides, ADRs, etc. She does not have/use handheld games/DS, etc.

small notebook for drawing hangman?
20 questions?

 

[mom2travel]

Looking for ideas to keep DD entertained while waiting in line for rides, ADRs, etc. She does not have/use handheld games/DS, etc.

small notebook for drawing hangman?
20 questions?

A small notebook to use while at a table waiting for food might be good. I personally wouldn't bring (and haven't ever) something for while waiting in line. Lines are constantly moving and something like a notebook or toy might be a pain (plus you need to carry it). We've always just talked, had a drink of water, looked around, maybe a snack... If you feel like you really need something what about a disposable camera? You could spend a few minutes asking DD to look around for the most interesting thing she sees and then have her take a picture of it. It would be fun to see what she comes up with.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We've never brought any entertainment for lines either. My boys have always been into reading the park map and brochures and deciding what to do next. Plus, they're always too excited to do anything structured like draw or play a game.

 

[imthatgirl]

We just talk to our kids. We talk about what we plan to do next, what we loved aboutt he day so far...that kind of stuff. I personally would never bring things to entertain them, we're already on a vacation whos purpose is to entertain, lol. I also do expect them to be able to be patient in line to do something they want to do.

 

[atmail35]

Once or twice I brought out a card game for DD5 to play with DH and I. We were in a long line and she was restless. I found a 2-pack crazy8/old maid card set at Family Dollar with Disney princesses on them.

We played in line once and at dinner twice, I believe.

In line DD liked talking with the other kids and that kept her fairly occupied. I also tried playing I-Spy in line or at dinner which works well.

 

[fairyprincess1]

On our last trip, we started bringing stickers to share - if we see a mom having a hard time with her kids or someone crying - my DS5 brings out the magic & tells them if they stop, he will let them pick out a sticker - or if we are in a long line, he will look for little ones to share his stickers with - Kept him occupied & let him spread a little Disney magic too

 

[Rachie0507]

We don't bring anything either. We talk. Sometimes we don't talk--there is a lot of stimulation there and downtime is a good thing. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

When our kids were younger, we did the following:

Tell stories
Play I-Spy
Sing

and, not wait in long lines.

 

[sk!mom]

We took both of our kids for the first time at 5. We didn't bring anything for lines or waits. We managed waits with smart touring and fastpasses. For the short waits we had, we talked, looked at the themeing, chilled, whatever. It was never an issue.

 

[jsphotography]

i found little pocket size coloring/activity books at target for $1 each, one was Mickey and the other was the Princesses.. I brought those and gave her a little marker and she was thrilled.. it was like a new toy! She loves coloring and doing the different puzzles, so much so that she never once complained about waiting for anything, we used them waiting for meals too! they were so small they fit right in my bag.. worked great for us!! :0)

 

[robinsegg]

How old is your dd?
Last Sept., we took our 9yo & 6yo (baby too, but that didn't count for this) to Chicago (5 hour drive) and didn't take a dvd player. Aside from the binder I always include for them on long trips, I found a lot of "parlor games" and had them on index cards. A parlor game is usually a word game that can be played while seated. The kids' favorite that time was one called "The Minister's Cat". We modified it so that no one ever got "out", but we just continued through the alphabet until we got to the next thing. This works very well while walking to the next destination, waiting for a meal, or waiting in a line.

 

[FourLeafClover]

great ideas everyone! my dd is almost 6, but fidgety. We do plan to get an early start each day to try and avoid long lines, I just want to be prepared.

I love the idea of handing out stickers!

 

[crisi]

We've also avoided long lines. That's the best thing you can do. I'm also not a fan of toys - you have to carry them around, you risk losing them (which can create its own drama). We've talked, played word games, looked at park maps, handed out fruit snacks (which I did carry in at that age), and tell the kids 46 times not to climb on the guard rails.

 

[atmail35]

On our last trip, we started bringing stickers to share - if we see a mom having a hard time with her kids or someone crying - my DS5 brings out the magic & tells them if they stop, he will let them pick out a sticker - or if we are in a long line, he will look for little ones to share his stickers with - Kept him occupied & let him spread a little Disney magic too

This is a GREAT idea, my DD5 would have loved this, I wish I had thought of this.....I'm totally stealing/borrowing it for next time.

 

[melancholywings]

We play 'I'm thinking of a disney character' guessing game.
But I also picked up a game called Yamodo at the book store that has been a huge hit with my family. It's a small notebook, each page has a made up word and a squiggle, then you take turns filling out a part of the definition of the word and adding something to the drawing till you complete the page. It's a ton of fun.

 

[Nafinegar]

Before my kiddos could read, I put some party favor toys in my fannypack. Each day there was a new something to occupy themselves with. Either some stickers, a mini-slinky, or a mini-magic eightball that a grown-up could read to them. They were a big hit whenever we had a wait that someone was inpatient for. They were small so I could tuck them back into my fannypack and still have plenty of space.

This time around I think we will pack some mad-libs and get them to navigate with the maps for us.

 

[wdw-ocd]

We play "20 questions" with a Disney theme, "I Spy" or "Guess Where I'm Hiding". That's a game my kids liked when they were smaller because they really used their imaginiation to "shrink" to fairy size and "hide" in places around the queue or the restaurant like the top of Cinderella's castle or on top of the flagpole. It also kept our other 3 kids occupied because they had to pay close attention to our surroundings in order to "find" their sibling.

 

[CdnCarrie]

My main tip would be sign up for TGM so you don't wait in lines!!

My 3 year old has been to WDW 3x in his little life and the only time I brought out toys was in restaurants. I'll keep a few things in my bag to pull up if he needed something besides colouring.

Usually we just talk in line. Kids don't need to be entertained 24/7.

Play "I spy with my little eye" or something.

 

[mousebymarriage]

When the lines are really long or we have a long wait for ADR's we play "I Spy" my kids have loved playing this since they were little (DD13 is "too cool" to play it now). We also occasionally thumb wrestle (I know a little weird but DS8 finds it hysterical).

 

[Greta]

We also thumb wrestle... And of course search for Hidden Mickeys!