We’ve all been there! Your child is hungry and fussy, and the food has not yet arrived. What should you do? Yes, it’s tempting to pull out our cell phones or tablets to quickly keep our child occupied, but this doesn’t teach them to sit and behave appropriately at a restaurant.
Teaching our kids how to behave in a restaurant setting is an essential part of parenting. We know it’s hard for them to sit still, so we need a plan. A go-to restaurant plan to help hold their attention span – quiet games and activities to keep them happy and entertained – and yes all screen-free.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to keep them busy at restaurants without the screens:
Napkin Decoration
I love crayons because it only takes a few and a napkin, and you are all set! Challenge the kids to a napkin decoration contest. Who can make the best design? And if there’s no paper napkin? Keep a couple of extra pieces of paper. I have even, under desperate circumstances, pulled out a few old receipts and told them to decorate my important papers.
Printed Coloring Pages
We always LOVE coloring pages. Print out a few of their favorite characters coloring pages before leaving. Throw them into your purse with a couple of crayons, and you’ll be ready! And why not add a few useful skills by printing out a special edition coloring book that we created for a local restaurant? Click here to download your copy for FREE!
Quiet Family Games
I Spy – I spy with my little eye something blue and shiny? My daughter loves this game. She will study the room and then come up with something ridiculously small that might not even be in the place. We will go through everything in the restaurant, and she’ll give ‘hints’ as we go. This game can go on for a long time until we figure it out. And she’s happy as can be as she tries to continue to stump us.
Let’s Tell a Story – Someone starts by making up the beginning of a story and then stops. The next person picks up and starts adding to the story. It gets silly, and often we end up starting over, but it’s a great way to pass the time. And allows the players to think creatively!
The Toy Bag
Although I am not a fan of toys at the table, if the kids are small, a few things to pull out before the meal arrive can go a long way. Throw in simple small favorite books and toys to delight your child as he waits. A sandwich bag of Legos. A little car. A favorite doll. Anything to entertain! But make sure you remove the toys from the table when the meal has arrived. This will reinforce that we don’t play at the table.
Ready to implement a screen-free restaurant plan? What are your favorite tips and tricks to entertain the kiddos? Please share.
Cheers to kids with fabulous social skills!
All the best,
Suzanne’s bio: Suzanne is a mom of three, on a mission to offer families a simple and effective game plan to teach relevant life skills for a modern world. She is an award-winning author of The SMART Playbook and Lil’ Champs Play it SMART and offers ideas for teaching social skills and manners in this fast-paced, tech-focused society. How do we get our kids back to basics without overwhelming our time? To see more, connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
