What’s in the bag?

You arrive for your appointment to the Dentist Doctor. The office is running behind and you have toddler or two with you to entertain until it’s your turn.

Sound familiar. This situation caught me one too many times.

What do you do?

What I have seen others do….

• Watch movies playing on continuous.
• Kids whipping out the latest electronic gadget that uses fingers and thumbs and rapid hand eye coordination.
• Some enterprising families all had one game machine and passed the time swapping and playing each others. A very organized set up.
• Kids running around and harried parents.
• Parents pulling out all sorts of things from their bags, purses and pockets
• Candy, cookies and food.

Ok.. you get the picture. But what can you do?

Well look on this time as bonus time. Something unexpected has come along. Your children can have you as a captive audience for minutes. So before you reach for your phone or PDA; try some of these play activities.

Here are some ideas to have stuffed in your bag for just such a time and ideas of things to do.

• Spend time with them. Ask them some questions and start a conversation. Let them lead.( It’s really interesting what goes on in your child’s mind- really!)
• Carry book(s)- Our current favourites here and here
• read labels on anything
• pick up those magazines lying around. Look at pictures and describe what they see, Get them to imagine what they would hear or feel if they were there?
• Find letters of their name around the room on in print
• Play I spy with colours (I spy something red etc)
• Yes!- give them the lollipop
• Start some made up stories with finger puppets here and here
• Pocket money toys are small enough to fit in your purse.
• spin coins on a flat surface or teach them heads and tails
• count squares on the hospital floor.
• mini travel or pocket games that clip on like doodle pro or etch a sketch
• Balloons-semi inflated
• fluffy balls

Now you have a few ideas – don’t be tempted to try them all at once, otherwise you’ll need a shopping cart to carry it all and you’ll miss your appointment.

****What ideas and things do you carry around in your bag? Or how do you change those everyday items into something fun?****