10 MORE (Almost) Effortless Waiting Games for Kids

One of our most popular posts here at More Than Mommies is a little list of waiting games that I play with the girls anytime we are stuck waiting and patience is growing thin.  I wrote it back in April, so if you are a new reader--go ahead and check that post out!

In the meantime, that list has found it's way to Pinterest where it's been pinned numerous times.  I could hardly believe it when I saw people pinning it left and right.  Besides it's popularity on Pinterest, lots of our readers came back to comment on the list and add to it with their own games and variations on games.

I decided to compile a second list. I know many people don't have time to peruse a list of thirty or so comments and there are some excellent ideas there that should  not be missed. I must thank our most excellent readers and pinners for their creative and fun ideas!

So the next time you are stuck waiting, between our First List and this one, you will have TWENTY Games to keep you busy! Surely, you will find something to please everyone. 

The best part about the list is that to play the games you are required to bring yourself and your brain to the table and nothing else--no need to dig for a pen, paper, missing game pieces, bulky boards. The games will leave you unplugged and connecting with your family in no time flat. 

What's not to love, right?

Ten {more} Games to Play While You are Waiting:

Mental "Hide and Seek" {A Variation of "I'm Thinking of"}

Shout out to: Pam

Pick a place in the room or car. The other players ask "yes" or "no" questions until they "find" you.  This works best for older kids-ones that won't cheat by "moving", and ones creative enough to think of clever places to "hide." 

But why limit yourself to hiding in the room that you are in. Keep the fun going by hiding in the "movies." The person hiding will give away the title. For example,  "I'm hiding in 'The Little Mermaid' ".  The person hiding then picks a scene and hides in an object in that scene--like the snarfblat or in Triton's trident.  It helps to stick to movies everyone has seen numerous times.

Don't Laugh CopyCat!

Shout out to: Pam

 As the leader you can move any way you wish, or choose exaggerated facial expressions.  Everyone must copy you... withOUT laughing!  Not even a giggle. ;) Anyone who makes a peep is out of the game! What a fun challenge!

Guess a Number/Guess a Letter

Shout out to: Shara

Pick a number 0-100 and the players try and guess the number.  It's kind of like "I spy" with numbers in your head.  You can give hints like "higher" or "lower" to get the players on track.

The second game is called "Guess the Letter." For young kids,  draw a letter on their back. For those too young to recognize letters you could draw shapes or an item like a flower, for example. The players have to guess what is drawn.  As the child grows & learns to read, instead of one letter, use a whole word.  As they get older the word gets longer and harder.  If they miss a letter, kisses and tickles will keep the game fun!  :)

5 Questions/Would You Rather

Shout out to: Nikki and Jenni

The asker gets to ask five random questions to any player they wish. For example "If there was one thing you could change about me what would it be?" or "What is the best thing that ever happened to you?" It is a great way to get your kids talking and find out more about them and vice versa. 

Another variation would have players asking "would you rather" questions. For example, For example, "Would you rather have arms so long they hung to the ground or three legs?" Or, "Would you rather run a marathon with a blister on your foot or a cramp in your calf?" or "Would you rather have your grandmother's first name or her hairstyle?"

Sounds like a good game to play around the dinner table!

I'm Going on a Trip

Shout out to: Katie

One Player names one thing they are going to take and one thing they can't take. everyone has to figure out the pattern. Once they think that they have it they offer a suggestion of what they think they can take and what they can't and start making them up to help the others. 

So for example,  I am going on a trip and I can take apples but not peaches. I can take puppies but not dogs. I can take mommies but not sisters. The pattern is:  words with double middle letters. A guesser might say "so you could take letters but not numbers". A great game for teaching patterns, probably easier to play with children who can read. 

The ABC Game

Shout out to: Jenni

Pick a topic like movies & TV shows, famous people, food, animals, countries/states etc.

The first person has the letter A and chooses the word in the chosen category that starts with A, then moves onto the next person and so on. On the letter B, a different person gets to start. The game keeps going until you get to the end of the alphabet. One rule we made was if someone gave a double letter answer, the others would have to come up with another one.

For example, with famous people, I say Alec Baldwin, One player says Ashlee Simpson and another says Adam Ant. So Player one and I would have to come up with another answer to finish off the letter A. Then Player one starts and comes up with an answer for the letter B and so on.

And a side note, since they are kids and don't have as big a memory as an adult it's okay to help them and show leniency with some of the answers. It is definitely a time consumer and a great learning game!

Animal Clues

Shout out to: Em

This is a variation of "I'm thinking of".  Choose and animal and then give a few clues to get players to guess your animal. They could be ridiculously easy (for young players) or really obscure (for older players).

For example, Polar Bear. The clues could be:  it's big, furry & cold. Players have to guess. If they get stumped I'll add a few more clues until they finally get it. 

Geography

Shout out to: Alice

The first player names a place, and then the next person has to name a place beginning with the last letter of the place before it:

Example:

Person A: Spain.  Person B: Nebraska. Person C: Alabama. and so forth.

Since you often end up with a lot of D's, E's and O's, You can be very loose with what constitutes a place... For example acceptable answers might be:  Arctic Circle, Bermuda Triangle, Hogwarts... 

You get the idea : ) Variations of the game can also be played with colors, and names. 

Let's Tell a Story

Shout out to: Nattie

Someone starts  by making up the beginning of a story and then stops. The next person picks up and starts adding to the story.  It gets silly and often times we end up starting over, but it's a great way to pass the time. And allows the players to think creatively!

God Dog Game

Shout out to: Beth

This game is a variation of  "Geography" in that you name words using the last letter of the word before it, but, but you can choose 3, 4 or 5 etc. letter words. You determine the how big the words can be at the beginning of the game. For a three letter game you might start with the word God, the next person says dog, then the next might say got and so on.  

It is a good idea to spell the word and have the children spell their words.  When they can't think of a word, they are out and the next person must think of a word.

Beth also mentioned the game Chopsticks and I thought I would add it to this list for good measure,  because it is a fun game, fairly easy to play, but difficult to explain. This tutorial at WikiHow should get you started! 

Thank you for all the great ideas from our readers. Some of our readers have copied the names of the games onto note cards to slip into their purses. When the kids are getting antsy, they pull out the cards and let the kids choose a game. We think this is an awesome idea and love how you all are getting creative with making that wait time a little more bearable. 

 Feel free to add your own games to the list! 

This post is linked at Top Ten {Tuesday} at Many Little Blessings
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