Toys & Games to Keep the Kids Busy

Ideas for the Car

• Keeping a kid busy in the car is essential to any car ride, no matter the length of the trip. Many cars now come equipped with movie players, but if yours does not, allow your child to watch his favorite movie during a longer car trip. For safety, provide earphones so that you do not have to listen to the movie while driving. A bingo license plate or seek-and-find game created prior to a long trip is another way to keep kids busy in the vehicle.

Ideas for Home

• At times, you may need to keep your child busy at home either for simply entertaining purposes or the need to complete a specific task such as cooking or cleaning. Create a game for the child that helps you complete the task. If you need to clean the kitchen, for example, create a game that allows the child to help you clean. Give the child clues as the chore and allow her to figure out the task you want completed. Provide rewards for completion of the task.

Ideas for the Grocery Store

• It is often necessary to bring a child with you to the grocery store. Create a game and give the child his own shopping list. Ask him to find the products in the store, and check off the products as he does so. For an older child, ask him to keep track of prices, and add up the total at the end of the shopping trip. Use this game to teach a child the concept of adding as well as budgeting and tracking sale prices. This game provides the child with both an authentic educational experience as well as a fun game to keep him busy while shopping.

Arts and Crafts

• Arts and crafts projects can provide hours of entertainment for your child. Providing a child with a variety of craft toys and materials encourages creativity and discovery. You can develop specific craft projects such as a collage or scrapbook to keep your child busy. You can also allow your child to use his own imagination and create a project of his choosing. Give your child access to a variety of materials such as crayons, markers, pencils or stickers. Because arts and crafts can be as easy or complex as you want them to be, this activity is beneficial for keeping any age child busy.