Tips for waiting in line

[Cadiewampus]

How about looking off into the distance somewhere and pointing just to see how many people you can get to turn around and look

 

[supersnoop]

How about looking off into the distance somewhere and pointing just to see how many people you can get to turn around and look

"LOOK!!!! ..... at my finger"

 

[AJ1983]

When I visited Disney as a child when my brother and I were 6 and 8, our favourite game to play in line was "oh look we're moving again!". Lol seriously, before we went to Disney it was explained there would be lines and we would have to wait our turn. No problem for us-we knew what was at the end of the wait plus it was exciting just to look around at everything. And this eas before any type of fastpass, when splash first opened and it was a 2 hour wait. Do kids have way less attention today, or are they just totally desensitized to the fact that they are at Disney? In our last few trips I have seen parents literally push their kids forward in line because they wouldnt take their eyes from whatever electronic device Mom or Dad gave them. They were like little zombies! (I know you are all going to say well a tablet is better than a kid screaming in line...but thats exactly my question...when did those become the only two options?)

 

[sara1215]

My kids are six and three. We have not been to Disney before. None of us know what to expect. I'm just trying to be prepared. If they are happily waiting I do not plan to shove electronics in their faces. I know you are not speaking only to me, @AJ1983, and I hope my kids do not act up in line. I just want us all to have a good time, the adults included.

 

[AJ1983]

Hey sara no that question was definitely not directed to you just a genuine wondering of when being at Disney itself wasnt enough to occupy kids?

 

[sleepymouse]

We stole this idea from a young couple in line for the Disney Visa Character Spot, but the "Heads Up!" app is GOLD if you're kids can read.

It's basically the game "Headbandz", but on a phone, iPod, etc. A word appears on the screen, and one person holds it up so everyone but herself can see it. The others then try to give clues so the first person can guess what it is. Sort of like verbal charades.

They have a ton of categories, too, including "Disney characters".

We play this too. It is a great time killer! My 9 year old loves to play and 4 year old gets excited and has fun because the rest of us do.

 

[acresse]

We stole this idea from a young couple in line for the Disney Visa Character Spot, but the "Heads Up!" app is GOLD if you're kids can read.

It's basically the game "Headbandz", but on a phone, iPod, etc. A word appears on the screen, and one person holds it up so everyone but herself can see it. The others then try to give clues so the first person can guess what it is. Sort of like verbal charades.

They have a ton of categories, too, including "Disney characters".

My family does this every trip. It is so much fun, we have never been in a line, where everyone around us didn't start playing along!

 

[sara1215]

Hey sara no that question was definitely not directed to you just a genuine wondering of when being at Disney itself wasnt enough to occupy kids?

I think it has a lot to do with society in general. We are programmed to have everything right where we want it all the time. Fast food, fast Internet, on demand, nobody waits for anything anymore. And when kids are growing up in that environment, that's all they know. It's unfortunate, but it's also the way life is now.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Hey sara no that question was definitely not directed to you just a genuine wondering of when being at Disney itself wasnt enough to occupy kids?

I honestly wondered the same thing. My kids are older (19 to 13) and they've been waiting in lines forever. I don't think I've ever thought of ways to entertain them in line, they just sort of stood and waited. We chat, we people watch. One thing when we go to Disney that we all adhere to is the no cell phones, unless you're taking a picture. It's nice to talk with my teens, I like them. But yeah with littles it's harder, I would just try and limit line standing or stand in lines with interactive stuff.

 

[kj2mom]

I find the more I am prepared the less I need but I don't feel like I am doing my 'job' if I don't try to prepare for as many situations as possible. I have gone on many road trips with the passenger seat filled with items to help pass the time. Sometimes I never use anything and even end up bringing home all of the snacks but I would much rather bring them and not use them than need them and not have them.

 

[DisneyOma]

I think it has a lot to do with society in general. We are programmed to have everything right where we want it all the time. Fast food, fast Internet, on demand, nobody waits for anything anymore. And when kids are growing up in that environment, that's all they know. It's unfortunate, but it's also the way life is now.

They don't get that instant gratification in school though, do they? I don't believe that's all kids know, it's more a parenting choice.

My kids drew in their autograph books, we played counting games or ABC games, we talked about the last ride we were on, the ride we wanted to go on next, what we wanted to have for supper, etc.

 

[sara1215]

I find the more I am prepared the less I need but I don't feel like I am doing my 'job' if I don't try to prepare for as many situations as possible. I have gone on many road trips with the passenger seat filled with items to help pass the time. Sometimes I never use anything and even end up bringing home all of the snacks but I would much rather bring them and not use them than need them and not have them.

This is how I feel too!

 

[LindsayL]

I have bags of little maze games, pinball games pretty much everywhere for my kids to play with. I bought several packs & had the kids pick which ones they wanted for the car, for disney. Etc. We have an extra bag for other littles in line around us! Things like:
http://m.partycity.com/products/rainforest+friends+maze+puzzles+12ct?bypass_redirect=1

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

When I was a kid my family brought a string for Cat's Cradle. That could keep me entertained for a LONG time.

Do they actually make special "Cats Cradle" strings? I always just tied a loop of plain old regular string. (and more to the point, do kids still play Cats Cradle?)

 

[scoobygrl79]

I have my own homemade game that is more or less a poor man's version of a sort of scavenger hunt (IE "The first one who spots someone in a Minnie Mouse shirt wins"...or "the last one to find someone carrying a balloon loses"....I throw out many aimless and random things for them to spy, from finding people wearing Mickey Ears to finding any purple sign..., the only rule is that they cannot point...they have to use clock positioning or nod in the direction), and it works for a decent amount of time, usually I wear out first because it is so boring if youre in your 30s.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

As a former children's librarian, I have experience entertaining kids of all ages on the fly with absolutely nothing, you learn to build a repertoire of songs, finger games, and imaginative play. That said, my older child is old enough now that he is terribly disturbed if mom bursts into song in public (he's 12), so I've been relying more on physical objects to entertain his younger sister, who just turned 4. I have to entertain her several times a week for her brother's doctor's appointments, therapy, school meetings, etc. I love the dollar store, and the clearance sections of Target and toy stores, discount stores like Big Lots, Gabriel Brothers, Five Below, Ross, Tuesday Morning. I'm always on the lookout for small toys and activities that I can pack in my purse to entertain her.

Our Marshall's sells the Disney books that come with 12 little figurines for $7 or $8, they're called My Busy Book, I leave the book at home because it's bulky and the playmat that comes with them is obnoxiously large, but my 4 year old has a blast playing with the miniature figures, you could probably use a park map as a playmat for the characters while waiting for your food at dinner, you can put the figures into a sandwich baggie and toss that into your purse or backpack. I also love the Imagine Ink coloring books, they're about 5 inches square and they come with a clear marker that "magically" reveals colors in the pages. It's great because the marker won't mark up anything but the coloring book.

We have a huge dollar store in the next town over and every few months I'll make a trip there to stock up on craft supplies, foamie stickers, and little toys. Dollar tree sells little Disney coloring books, packs of Disney-themed crayons, and Disney party supplies that would work great for entertaining the kids.

I also like to pick up pocket sized versions of classic children's books--right now, Chick Fil A is giving them away with a kids meal and they are running a promotion for a free kids meal for each child that comes into the restaurant with a backpack, ready for school--and then I keep one in my purse for a quickie storytime. I have luck finding the mini-books at Half Price Books and our town's thrift shop.

I always, always pack balloons and glow sticks (both can be found at our dollar tree) in my suitcase when we travel; there are a number of ways to entertain kids with those in a hotel room, when all the adults are too tired to go swimming but the kids are still pumped from their day of fun, or in the morning while the adults are getting ready. We don't do parades, but maybe those would work while waiting for a parade? If you have a couple rubber bands, you can turn the balloons and glow sticks into glowing punch balloons, as long as you can trust your kids not to whack each other or your neighbors with them.

Oh, and Pinterest!!! Pinterest is awesome and there are many, many printable scavenger hunts, including scavenger hunts for the Disney parks. For our last road trip I packed scavenger hunts and a Would You Rather... game that I found on Pinterest. My 4 year old was so inspired by Would You Rather... that she took to making up her own questions for hours, much to the dismay of her older brother : )

 

[sara1215]

Thank you so much for a wonderful reply! The My Busy Book sounds perfect, and I already have some invisible ink books and glow sticks in my box of Disney stuff.

 

[kollerbear]

Do they actually make special "Cats Cradle" strings? I always just tied a loop of plain old regular string. (and more to the point, do kids still play Cats Cradle?)

Good point-- yes you can just loop a string! There was a Klutz book when I was a kid that had a special reinforced string and that guided you though Cat's Cradle and other variations. And hey-- if kids DON'T do cat's cradle anymore, it's a great time to teach them! I think Cat's Cradle is like patty-cake hand clapping games--repetitive and interactive in a way that kids kind of don't outgrow no matter the generation.

 

[GillianP1301]

We've never taken anything special for waiting in line before. I'm pretty lucky though because my DS (now 7) has always been a very patient one in lines, sometimes more than me.

We talk about things we are seeing in the queue, or about what we are planning for the rest of the day or sometimes some games that don't need any "stuff" like eye spy or counting games, etc...

If you know you've got a more antsy type waiter, then I love the pipe cleaner idea... weighs next to nothing and keeps the hands busy. Along those same lines, you could do a cats cradle string (my son is really into that right now and I may toss it one in our backpack this year).

 

[TGM]

Look for Hidden Mickeys, and/or get the Hidden Magic at WDW book (my favorite book)