23 Toys That Will Keep Your Child Busy in the Restaurant (Except IPad)
For about two years in my family, it was a rule not to go to restaurants for our children. This is because they either ate at lightning speed – which meant that one of us parents also had to eat and then take them outside to beat the trees with sticks – or at the speed of a snail, which meant that the approaching waiter turned on the air conditioner and blasting Jimmy Buffett as a subtle hint. Or the kids were just violent, irritable, or naughty, which is frustrating for everyone involved.
But now that they are four and seven, we dine out from time to time again. I don’t mind using the iPad as a distraction in other situations – I’ve definitely tried to electronically hypnotize my kids during the various doctor visits they’ve had, or at the DMV, or during the rare last minute appointments. Job. But I really try to avoid using the iPad in restaurants, mainly because I’m old enough and cheap enough to treat dining out as a treat for the whole family. And our home rule is “no electronics at the table,” and for consistency, we enforce it in the absence of electronics.
So when I went to have dinner with a friend with kids the same age a few months ago, I was thrilled to see that she has a small pouch (one of those wallets inside the wallets) filled with little toys to keep our four boys entertained. …
I can hear the comments now: “Are the toys that different from the iPad?” Yes, in my opinion, because we all played with them together, or the boys play with them, and not every child has a silent, isolated experience behind their own screens. I think the little toys are just a continuation of a game of, say, Hangman on a paper plate. Secondly, yes, at some point they will sit at the table and conduct a conversation without being distracted at all. But for now, I rely on this treasure trove of goodies to carry us through. I keep one or two items in my bag every time we go out and change a new one every third or fourth visit to the restaurant.
1. Pocket Etch-a-Sketch . This forced my then three-year-old to order until food arrived, and I received only rare advice and guidance.
2. Magic ball 8 . Seven-year-old boys think this is fun . The game very quickly becomes very surreal: “What weapon does the Tooth Fairy carry?”
3. Mini Rubik’s Cube . Or, for your older / more advanced kids, a regular Rubik’s cube.
4. Fabulous crowns . Is there a child who loves fairy tales? If you have a little room to decompose, they will be busy not only while eating, but for a long time while you wait to sit down.
5. Temporary tattoos. This pirate-themed backpack will be a catnip for my 4 year old. This will most likely work even for a seven year old. To get more freehand body ink, I could try these tattoo pens .
6. Subject cubes . This is billed as a “pocket story generator” for kids ages 8 and up, although I couldn’t possibly leave my youngest son in it. I’m ready for a lot of dragon and poop stories.
7. Slamwich . Caveat: This is probably a game that can get noisy, so it might be better for a restaurant where you have a lot of space and don’t intend to disturb other diners, such as a picnic table in a crab hut. type of joint. Or you can change it so that it is uncompetitive and not slapped like I do for my kids when things get out of hand.
8. Crazy Libs . Perfect for an 8-10 year old, although again, my 4 year old would definitely add a few nouns like poop and dragons .
9. Dog pile , or other puzzles , for spatially-minded children. I like Canoodle and Canoodle Jr.
10. Bananagrams , for older children (and adults) with a mind’s eye . There is also a version for preschoolers .
11. Silly putty . I chose Silly Putty over unicorn poop because I think unicorn poop will cause excited screams of disgust. Also, I usually have a magazine or newspaper in my bag and my kids love to press putty on newsprint to copy words.
12. Make your own necklaces . This is another question that depends on which restaurant you go to, as well as how nimble your kids are. You definitely don’t want dozens of tiny beads rolling across the floor during a snack, so assess your situation accordingly.
13. Pocket magnifier . There is something to see at the restaurant table: bags of sugar, a drop of ketchup, your own nails.
14. Tiny mini-farm . Like the necklaces, there are a lot of details here, but I don’t think they are that cool. The main danger for my son is that he won’t want to collect them when it’s time to eat.
15. Paper planes . Obviously, only if your child is patient enough to wait after eating to dump him. If you want to fold harder, try origami .
16. Spy kits . Depending on how big your bag is, you can throw away the box and just pack the components, or try these invisible ink pens .
17. Magic labyrinths . My son is okay with dinosaurs.
18. Sticky stickers . The Spider-Man theme would be a big hit in my home, but Frozen would be the second.
19. Hand-held pinball game . It’s on my list of Christmas travel things for kids to do both in the restaurant and in the car.
20. At Fidget . This is a good option for children who find it difficult to sit still.
21. Memo game . This is a classic memory game, but you must roll the dice. If your kids aren’t convinced to just place the die and not throw it away like mine, you can try one of the classic concentration games that are just cards.
22. Sketch and sniff a notebook . I believe this is a $ 3 tax on eating out – there are very few repetitions here. My four-year-old scribbled every page, smelled it, and at the end we threw it away. The money is well spent.
23. Classics: crayons , paper , notebooks and a deck of cards . And for kids – blocks that will not knock when hitting the floor.
Are there any non-digital hobbies for kids in public? Let us know in the comments.