keeping the kids occupied

Kids often get antsy the moment you have to wait for something. For example, a 20 minute seating wait at a restaurant can be unbearable to a kid. So whenever I find myself in line for something, I end up trying to find ways of keeping the kids' attention focused on something else. Here are a few games you can play in line, which work pretty well:

• ispy

Every kid knows this game. Find something in your environment and have them look for it. "I spy... a rose!" They will look all over for a rose. Then each will want a turn saying I spy.

• rock paper scissors

This is usually best played with two people, but three people can work too. This game will only distract them for a few minutes. However, I use it to transition to other games.

• simon says

Kids like this one almost as much as ispy and it works with whole groups of kids.

• thumb war

This also is best with two players. However, you can play against two kids at the same time, giving the parent a real handicap. Don't forget the ritual at the beginning of the game: "One, two, three, four, let's have a thumb war".

• slap it

Beware of playing this game in a quiet venue. It will turn some kids hyper. You extend your hand out, palm up, and test your reflexes against theirs. They try to slap your hand, you try to withdraw it before it hits.

• guess a number, shape, color, etc

Start simple with this game ("I'm thinking of a number..."), then move onto more challenging questions ("I'm thinking of the name of a cousin..." or "I'm thinking of a disney character...").

• finish the story

Oftentimes this game will fizzle out with silliness. It's also not a game a kid will pick up on the first try. It takes some practice before it sinks in. Start a story and have each child add to it. For example, you might say, "Once upon a time there was a frog..." Then point to the next in line, who'll say "who was really a prince." Then the next one, "and he just ate a fly!"

• No saying No

All of you agree on a forbidden word and try to get someone to say it. The best ones are the ones you use all the time like "No". So no one can say No. You can trick them by saying, "So you want to do some homework when we get home?" The right response would be shaking your head or saying Nope. But the knee jerk reaction will be No! Then everyone laughs and you move onto the next word.

• pass it long

This game works best with more than four people. You whisper a long phrase into the next person's ear. Then he whispers it into the next person's ear. The phrase will get corrupted along the way. Then the last person in the group will say the phrase out loud. Oftentimes the result is pretty funny. For example, if I whisper, "Green eggs and ham and bread and jam make Uncle Scrooge a grumpy man," it may come out as "Green eggs and ham make Sam and Uncle Scrooge a grumpy man."