Tips & Tricks on keeping kids happy/entertained in lines?

[goldrings]

What do you typically do to avoid the "i'm bored" from your kids during the waits/lines as much as possible? I'll use fastpass wherever we can, but I know they are going to want to do some rides that we won't have a choice but to wait. Like for instance I know my 5 year old cars fanatic isn't going to be happy with just riding Radiator Springs one time.

Thanks!

 

[meggles]

Get there early and do rides with the longest waits then and get fast passes.

Bring snacks, stickers and little toys, play eye spy or look for hidden mickeys, talk about what you've done so far and what you'd like to do next, look at the map or schedule if you need to, talk to people in line. I thought about bringing bubbles this time to entertain my almost 3 year old...has anyone done that before?

 

[tanyaegangibson]

My kids, DD9 and DS6, love the Lots To Do in Line book (we have the phone app, too). We also try to look for hidden Mickeys (we have the book for that, too, though a lot of them are inside the rides instead of in line) and do Mad Libs.

 

[YukonMommy]

To entertain our 4 kids we have a snack, share a drink, play rock/paper/scissors, eye spy, the alphabet game, the list game (how many Disney princesses, Disney characters, etc can you list without repetition), talk, I carry a small pad and pencil (for hangman, x/o) Disney trivia for a candy, our trusty hidden mickey book. Our family rule is no electronics (other than a camera) so we get pretty creative!

***I thought about bringing bubbles this time to entertain my almost 3 year old...has anyone done that before? I have seen kids lose it when other kids pop their bubbles, I personally think the space is to confined and some people do not like bubbles popping on them (or their phones, cameras, glasses, etc)

Have a magical time!

 

[CourtFool]

Are you familiar with Role Playing Games? Obviously, you can not play with all the books and dice while standing in line, but you can play free form anywhere anytime where you can have a conversation. Little Llama and I do this whenever we go for a walk.

 

[goldrings]

Thanks for all the tips! Prepping myself for the crowds and trying to make sure the kids have a wonderful time

 

[cmpeter]

My dd is a little older, but we like to play Heads Up (app). There are multiple "decks" you can play with, some geared towards younger kids. They do have to know how to read or have a teammate that can read the questions to them. The animals one would be good for younger kids and there is one calls "For Kids". You can also make your own categories/questions (we have one for family members where we have to mimic the family members to get someone to guess who we are talking about.) You could make a Disney one with trivia from the movies your kids like. It's fun because if you get stuck, sometimes other folks in line will join in and help give you clues.

We also like to hide/leave spare change for kids in line behind us. Hiding it is more fun than finding it (which is how we discovered this game.) As you are waiting in line you leave coins on top of the rail posts, walls, etc...all at kid height. We purposely bring a baggie of spare change just to hide it (which is really just placing it at eye level for a kid to find.)

 

[SweetAlex]

Honestly, we've NEVER had an issue with our kids being bored in line. The first time we went, they were 7 and 3. There is SO much to do, so much to look forward to, so many things to see, so many new people to talk to and listen to. I don't remember them once expressing boredom and they are totally the type of kids to ask "are we there yet?" 6 minutes after leaving the driveway

I think we did play I-spy a few times, just for fun.

 

[mikana876]

I've only done it once and he was three at the time, but he did pretty good once he realized that the reward for waiting in line was an awesome ride. But I did buy him a couple of small toys from the gift shops and he's play with those while waiting in line.

 

[pigletliz]

Get there early and do rides with the longest waits then and get fast passes.

Bring snacks, stickers and little toys, play eye spy or look for hidden mickeys, talk about what you've done so far and what you'd like to do next, look at the map or schedule if you need to, talk to people in line. I thought about bringing bubbles this time to entertain my almost 3 year old...has anyone done that before?

Everything sounds great, except for the bubbles. They can be irritating to other people's eyes (not just the glasses) and can make the ground slippery when spilled. The people on line can't avoid them.

Have a great trip

 

[aliceindisneyland]

If we have to wait we do endless rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, or those hand slapping games - the complicated ones with songs that I learned when I was 8. Anything distracting that helps keep them from getting rambunctious and running into the people in front/back of them in line.

 

[larina]

Honestly, this is never a big deal for us. My kids seem to get that it's just part of the process. And they aren't normally great at waiting.

 

[Butterfly123]

Honestly, this is never a big deal for us. My kids seem to get that it's just part of the process. And they aren't normally great at waiting.

This was true of us as well. I thought it would be a bigger deal then it ever turned out to be.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

What do you typically do to avoid the "i'm bored" from your kids during the waits/lines as much as possible? I'll use fastpass wherever we can, but I know they are going to want to do some rides that we won't have a choice but to wait. Like for instance I know my 5 year old cars fanatic isn't going to be happy with just riding Radiator Springs one time.

Thanks!

My kids are pretty good at waiting. They enjoy looking at everything around them. But for those super long lines we usually give them a small snack, they play the cheese touch game, and I spy. Sometimes they make friends with other kids in line too

 

[MandyFresh]

We also like to hide/leave spare change for kids in line behind us. Hiding it is more fun than finding it (which is how we discovered this game.) As you are waiting in line you leave coins on top of the rail posts, walls, etc...all at kid height. We purposely bring a baggie of spare change just to hide it (which is really just placing it at eye level for a kid to find.)

I love the coin idea! Thank you!

 

[Gisele]

I love the coin idea! Thank you!

Let me know when those coins are gold or silver, I prefer gold to be honest.
And hide them at a height of about 68 inches would be a nice idea too.

 

[goldrings]

Awesome! Thanks everyone! One more sleep!!!!

 

[Newsiemj]

I also keep dinosaur finger puppets and pipe cleaners (for necklace making) in my purse for waits at restaurants. This might be helpful in lines too.