Keeping preschooler busy in lines...

[MNdisneymom]

Anybody have great ideas for keeping my 3 yo DS busy while waiting in lines for rides/buses/etc? He'll probably be okay if they aren't tooo long (so much stuff to look at, usually)...I'm just looking for ideas of extra little things I could do with him just in case...Thanks!

 

[Dusted]

Hi there. We are leaving in 3 days.... with my dd3. I have packed bubbles, crayons, and her leapster for quiet waiting times. I heard reports that the bubbles were a big hit with some other families...

Have a great trip.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Drat, I was going to say "Just don't bring bubbles", but Dusted already mentioned bringing them. Not everyone cares to have bubbles burst on them while in line. They get all sticky and soapy.

 

[MNdisneymom]

Love that Leapster (in small doses)--it will definitely be packed (with the cars cartridge, of course!)

 

[monorailsilver]

I guess I am an odd ball. I haven't had a problem with my kids & waiting in lines.

In Disney, my dd was 15 months old & she just looked around while we were waiting in line.

Then the next time went my dd was 4 & my ds was 22 months. Again, I had no problems with them getting ancy.

Oh & my dd when she was 15 months was one of those kids who does not sit still & wanted to walk everywhere (she even walked around Epcot one night pushing her stroller).

There are signs every where so you can play an Ispy game with him this way you don't have to bring anything extra.

The buses have the 'billboards' above the seats with lots of colorful things (and letters too) so you can say "I spy a letter E" or something like that.

 

[Oceana]

I heard about these a while back and have been looking for them for YEARS. I finally found them, just in time to get them for our trip. I have not recieved them yet so I dont know if they will really work for us as the product is for 3 and up and my kid is 3... sometimes these things are actually good for 3 year olds sometimes it just means it isnt for kids younger KWIM?

anyhow these look very promising for our trip. Dont buy them from the retailer I am showing. Hunt around. I found mine on ebay for under $7 each and included shipping

http://www.funtocollect.com/disneykidqs.html
http://www.funtocollect.com/poohbearkidqs.html

I dont know if Pooh and Disney are the same with different characters or totally different

julie

 

[Anniegirl]

What worked for my rambunctious, active and impatient 3 year old son were movement songs. We did the chicken dance on countless lines, also the hokey pokey, sang 'wheels on the bus' ad nauseum etc etc etc. He never tired of them and any of the surrounding children in line were happy to join in. Nothing like a dance party on line!

 

[KimWDW]

I spy is always a good time-passer.

Honestly, my 3yo had no troubles last year because there is always something to look at.

 

[mickeywho?]

We had a hidden Mickey book with us as well as the 20Q game (very little electronic toy you can even keep hooked on your keys).
Both were a hit with keeping my boys busy and very often had the rest of the line around us joining in.

 

[Jaclyn810]

definately i spy

 

[MattMatts-Momma]

I also have a very very active three year old and this is what I am packing in my Sanity Bag:

1. Mini-Magna Doodle
2. 2 small containers of Silly Putty
3. A lite up Astro Ball Necklace
4. Deck of I Spy cards
5. Mini Slinky

I got these things at Walmart, most were under $1. He will surely need something to occupy his time when we are waiting on the lines. These will all be new to him, so hopefully he will be interested at least for a short time...

I hope that helps you.

 

[Barbers2005]

Whenever we go on trips we buy a few "surprise toys" for my dd4. They are small, cheap (less than $5) toys that she doesn't know about before the trip. Some ideas are small plastic animals, matchbox cars and the little bags of toy bugs you can get at wal-mart. When she starts to get antsy, and the usual tactics have failed, we whip out one of those toys. Dd gets all excited about the new toy and forgets about being bored/fidgety. I have to admit, we didn't use most of the ones we bought for wdw b/c she was too excited to get cranky.

 

[coach's wife]

Here's another song to add to the movement song list.
I run a daycare and all the kids love when we sing this it's called...
HI MY NAME IS JOHN.

Here goes....

Hi my name is John
I got a wife and two kids and work in a button factory
One day my boss said to me, he said John are ya busy, I said no, he said good
turn that button with your right hand (move right hand like your turning it to open a door knob)
While still turning right hand sing

Hi my name is John
I got a wife and two kids....

continue with other hand, foot, nose, ears, tongue, fingers......etc.


What about the ABC song that is from the leapster videos...

The A says ahhh
The A says ahhh
every letter makes a sound the A says ahh
continue rest of abc's


ALSO..I don't know what you call them but remember when you were in grammer school and you did the paper game where you put the paper you folded onto your fingers and you wrote numbers on the outside and you counted that many moving it back and forth then you picked out something else for a color, after that you did what ever the inside thing told you to do. I know my description is awful... someone please help.
The kids I watch love to do that. Works on colors, counting and acting silly. Maybe you could gear it towards Disney.

Good luck...sorry my descriptions were long (and awful). Just glad you all couldn't hear me sing

 

[hitchedpumpkin]

While waiting for buses in morning my DS age 5 and DD, age 18 mos would eat breakfast - dry cereal, banana and milk or juice. We stayed at Pop Century last trip and the lines in the cafeteria were ridiculous in the morning so trying to squeeze in a sit down breakfast really was just not worth it. While waiting for rides we sing songs, play I Spy and tell silly knock-knock jokes. I just picked up a deck of Wiz Kids cards from a Discovery Toys demo and these are great to pull out for rides in the car, while waiting in restraunts etc. I am planning on keeping them in my backpack for our next trip in Jan Another great way to pass time is to have kids look at the park map and plan out the next ride and what path to take. Kind of like a treasure hunt.

 

[Schmeck]

Please do not use bubbles in line!

Bubbles can stain clothing.

Bubbles can pop in your face and sting in your eyes.

Children like to pop all the bubbles, even the stray ones, so a child could bolt out of line to get that wandering bubble. Parents can't follow so easily, and a child could get lost.

My daughter is very allergic to some bubble solutions. If we were in line, and a bubble popped on her, we'd have to get out of line and go rinse off her skin with a lot of water.

So, please leave the bubbles for a time when there is more open space?

 

[sbpuckett]

subbing

 

[DisFam95]

Big NO on the bubbles. Highly annoying and disrespectful to those around you. Maybe fine for sitting on an open bench away from others or at your resort but NEVER in lines.

We got the 20Q game at Target. It's so tiny and "Magic" since it reads your mind!!! DS loved it. We're going in Oct so I got a bunch of Halloween trinkets to pull out just in case. I've never had a problem with the littlest ones in lines. DS is now 4 so he's more vocal with his impatience . We've done a lot of talking now about what Disney is all about and the lines etc. Hopefully that will help.

The dollas store is great to browse around.

 

[maxtomsmom]

One thing that is always a big hit is the "Which hand game?" Rather than using money pick a small and new toy or a treat that will fit in your hand. I like using treats as it keeps them going for a while. They can do it to you. I love to watch them hide it in their hand only to watch 1/2 of it sticking out and they innocently say, "Which hand mommy?"

 

[flortlebap]

I've never seen anyone using bubbles before but I honestly wouldn't mind if they did

I'm lucky in that my DD1 will be happy waiting in line as long as I'm holding onto her. She'll just love being in a new place and looking around!

My two neices (5 and 2) on the other hand may be a bit more awkward. I suppose we'll have to play "I spy" or something. Or talk about what we're going to be doing on the ride, it's their first trip and they won't know anything about what to expect!

 

[Schmeck]

I've never seen anyone using bubbles before but I honestly wouldn't mind if they did

I'm lucky in that my DD1 will be happy waiting in line as long as I'm holding onto her. She'll just love being in a new place and looking around!

My two neices (5 and 2) on the other hand may be a bit more awkward. I suppose we'll have to play "I spy" or something. Or talk about what we're going to be doing on the ride, it's their first trip and they won't know anything about what to expect!

But wouldn't you be upset if the bubbles got in your one yr old's eyes and stung? Or if your two year old niece chased after a bubble and got away from you and got lost before you could get out of line?