Kids Activities that’ll keep them Busy when you’re Eating Out

OK folks, let’s get straight to the point. We all know how frustrating it can be eating out with small peeps in tow. I’ve seen so many parents shoving down their food, and making a quick exit, from cafes and restaurants all over town.

Why? Because their small peeps are nagging at them, ‘can we go now?’, ‘when can we go home?’ or ‘I’m bored!’. Or they’re tugging at them, being loud and painful, or misbehaving. That list goes on. And on.

Of course the kids are bored, as more often than not, there’s no kids activities to keep them amused. To them, it’s no fun going to a cafe and sitting around waiting for food. To us, we’re so happy to have someone else cook for us, we’d do anything for them to stay put and behave.

I learnt early on, that I needed some entertainment on hand. And I don’t mean of the electronic variety! As soon as my daughter could hold a crayon, I started taking paper and colouring books along to our cafe visits.

In time, our stays got easier and longer – all because she was amused. The dynamic changed and we started having fun.

Enter what I call The Amusement Bag; AKA my lifesaver. It’s nothing fancy, just a bag full of simple kids’ activities to keep us amused.

So what’s in the Kids Activities Bag?

You don’t need a whole lot in this kids activities bag to keep your little one amused when you’re at a cafe or restaurant. Here’s what I have in mine:

• Pencil case full of textas, coloured pencils, metallic pens
• Plain white paper
• Pretty Patterns colouring book
• Princess sticker activity book
• Mermaid activity book
• Scissors
• Sharpener
• Washi tape (pretty patterned masking tape)
• Stamps
• Stickers
• And my fave – a deck of Uno cards (Frozen branded, of course!).

I keep ours in the car boot, and about once a fortnight I rotate the colouring books and stickers, to shake it up a bit. And my top tip, put your phone away and get your colouring on too. You may even enjoy it, I know I do.

My daughter, who turns six next month, is now a well-trained cafe enthusiast. I think in part, due to the amusement bag. So if you’re not already all over this, get on board folks. If could make all the difference in contributing to much more enjoyable hang sessions, especially over the school holidays.

What do you do to keep your little one occupied and entertained on-the-go? Comment below and share what works for you with me and other readers!