Waiting Games: Making the Most of the Time Between

Even in the fullest family schedule, there are times of waiting: standing in line, driving from one place to another, waiting for a meal to be prepared, waiting for an appointment, waiting for someone to arrive or be ready to go...

Make the most of your time in-between, and avoid the inevitable "Are we there yet" and "Can we go now" comments by encouraging your kids to play a game. It will improve their cognitive, motor, and visual skills, and it will help time move faster.

Here are a few to start you off:

Alphabet Search:

• Look around the room you are in, or at signs, license plates and billboards if you are in the car. Starting with the letter "A", have your child point out each letter of the alphabet he or she sees. If you have an older child who can read, have them find items that begin with that letter. For example, ankle begins with the letter A, book begins with B, carpet begins with C... and so on. Some of those letters are going to be tricky but it'll cause kids to think ahead, knowing that a Q will be hard to find.

A Tale from a Tune:

• We grew up watching cartoons where the characters run around chasing each other to the tune of William Tell or the Barber of Seville. Often, places you visit have music playing in the background, elevator music or classical. Ask your children, "What do you think you would be doing if this music were playing and you were the character in the cartoon?" Would you be running up the stairs, then down? Would you be in a happy mood, flitting from flower to flower like a bee, or would you be distraught, lost, drenched in the rain from an awful storm? See the scene in your mind and describe it.

I hope to post more "Waiting Games" in the future so please come back again :)

Related Training:

Learning Through Play (1 hour / .1 CEU)