Bouncing from one activity to the next finds families traveling to ball games, lessons, appointments, and more. Once you reach your destination you may find yourself playing the waiting game. “In between time” can be a great opportunity to get back to the basics of learning with your loved ones. Here’s some gadget-free ideas that will help keep minds learning, loved ones communicating, and time passing with enjoyment:
- Creative Questions – Come up with unique questions and brainstorm answers. Exploring different responses will help your child use their imagination and think about things from many perspectives. (i.e. What does autumn sound like? What does the letter “R” smell like? What do rocks think about? What shape is happiness? What sound does the color blue make?)
- Group Storytelling – Create a story together by having one person start by saying a few sentences. The next person continues the story where the first person stopped and so on. Keep it up until the story is fully told and everyone has had a turn.
- Treasure Bottle – Fill a recycled bottle or jar with uncooked rice or birdseed until it is 2/3 full. Add 20 or more small objects (i.e. safety pin, paper clip, bolt, penny, bead, lego, button). Make a list of the items and challenge passengers to find all of the objects without opening the container.
- The Name Game – Choose a category (example: “animals”). Start with saying an animal (“snake”). The next person has to share an animal that starts with the last letter of the previous one (“elephant”). Try not to repeat any animals and see how long you can play without getting stumped! Other fun categories are: names, states, countries, fruit, etc…
- Survival Island – Create a scenario that leaves your group stranded on a deserted island. You only have five items to help everyone survive until the rescuers arrive. Discuss and decide what five items you would like to have. Remember, the whole group has to agree.
- Plate Weaving – Make cuts in a paper plate from the outside edge toward the center. Cut strips of yarn or ribbon. Tape one end to the back of the plate. Weave the strip over and under the cut sections of the plate. Can you make a shape or design?
By: Nora Rhoades
e about preparing for a babysitter in our latest edition of Building Strong Families, available at 
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