10 ideas to entertain your kids at a restaurant without electronics

Going to dinner with kids can be challenging unless you are ready entertain the kids at a restaurant without electronics. There is nothing I hate more than seeing an entire table with their phones in front of their faces ( adults or toddlers ).

 

10 ideas to entertain any kid

 

Its always a bummer when a restaurant tells you they have a wait – don’t leave just yet! You can easily take the kids on a quick walk to kill 10 min until your table is ready. I try to always pack balloons in my purse too – its easy to toss back and forth and keep off the ground.

Pro- tip: we usually order our food the same time we order our drinks!

1. I Spy – This is one of our favorite games and easy to play anywhere.
2. Crayons – Not every restaurant will have crayons and coloring pages for kids. No biggie you can just ask your server to grab a few pieces of paper from the managers office!
3. Puzzles- You can easily toss a puzzle into a zip- lock bag if the box is too big.
4. Wikki-Stix : Our boys love these! They use them to make houses, letters, and the other day we even made “sporky” from Toy Story.
5. Water-Wow : These are one of our favorite no mess toys to bring to restaurants and for traveling!
6. Search and Find Books : We like bringing the big one so the whole family can search for pictures.
7. Flash Cards : My boys love calling out animals, making their sounds and taking turns holding the cards for each other.
8. Re-usable stickers: We have a few different versions, some that come with a book, others we just use the table for our “stickers”.
9. Singing songs : Obviously using our inside voices, our boys love being the center of attention and getting their own turn. We go back and forth choosing our song.
10. Wooden magnetic blocks : These are another easy and no mess game to pack in your bag!

We talk to our boys about table manners, which isn’t a fun topic BUT we always try to praise them when they are being good!

inside voices | bums on our seat | using our utensils | please & thank you

Don’t worry my kids aren’t always perfect at the table either, we spill stuff, we throw fits. They are toddlers, just remember every time might not be perfect but it doesn’t mean you should stop going out to eat. Go enjoy a cocktail at your fav spot with the fam!