Parenting Pointers: Waiting Time

Here are quick games (adapted from Parenting magazine) and activities to do with your kids while they're waiting.

Shopping:
Pick an object or trait (teddy bear, people wearing blue, babies, etc) and have your kids keep track of how many they see while you're shopping.
Pick a funny sound to say or make when you see a specific object.

Waiting room:
Open a magazine and play I spy with something in the magazine.

In the car:
Keep a sheet pan and large magnets under a seat. Pull it out for your child to play with on long road trips.
Play the ha-ha game. Take turns adding one "ha" at a time until someone starts laughing for real.
Keep cardboard/cardstock/old magazines and stickers in the glove compartment.

In line:
One person strikes a pose and the other imitates it until the line moves. If someone moves before the line does, they "lose" and the other person picks the next pose.
Draw simple shapes, letters, or short words on your child's arm or back and have him or her guess what it is. Then let your child try.