As parents we have all been here… You are at Walt Disney World waiting in line in the Florida heat with your family and little ones are restless. They are hanging on the ropes, walking away from the queue to play with something they shouldn’t, or even cutting people in line just so they don’t have to stand there for them must seem like forever.
While we are avid Fast Pass and Touring Plans “Lines” users, and we try to goto the parks on non busy times of the year..If that even exists anymore. We found it hard to keep our little one entertained when we did have to wait in line. From standing in line looking at the other parents I can see we weren’t the only ones.
I was successful with coming up with several ways to keep our toddler busy to help pass the time. I would like to share with you a list of a few ways to keep your little one preoccupied and happy while you are waiting on having fun on a Disney ride or attraction.
- Cheerios on Dental Floss – This idea was given to me by a good friend Michelle. We met her family at the Magic Kingdom about half way through our vacation last spring and she had a ziplock baggie full of these healthy necklaces for the little ones. All she did was take a long piece of dental floss (plain or mint doesn’t matter) and string fruity cheerios through it. You can use Fruit Loops, Chocolate Cheerios, or any other kind of cereal with a hole in the middle. This idea was a life saver! The kids were behaving and cleaning their teeth at the same time. Thanks Shelly!
- Coloring Apps on Droid or iPhone – I am an avid Droid user, I tweet, I Stream live video, I listen to Music from Pandora, you name it. It is my lifeline. While we were down at DisneyWorld a few months ago I ran across a few Droid Apps that were perfect for a toddler. One was called Zebrapaint. It is just a basic digital coloring book. Most of our bus rides to and from the park our lass was busy coloring on mommy or daddy’s phone. Toddler Lock was another good one. They both were very effective while standing in line. So check your smart phone and see what kinda apps are available to help keep your kids occupied while standing in line.Quick Tip – Be sure to bring your cell phone charger with you to the park. With a toddler drawing on your phone while waiting in line it will in no time drain your battery, or you can get Energizer Battery Pack to quick charge your batteries.
- Doodle Pad or Etch a Sketch – I am sure most of us have several of these in your house. All kids love to draw. Now if you goto a toy store or Toys R Us there are countless flavors of doodle pads available. From Etch a Sketch, to Crayola Glow Station, and even Aqua Doodle these are hours of good fun and small enough to keep in a purse or book bag. It’s a great way to keep your toddler from climbing the walls anywhere, and better than the old pen and paper.
- Mini Character Sets – Disney has just about every movie covered as far as a Mini Character Set goes. They are great for around 12$ (or alot of times we catch them on sale for 9$) we get a whole set of Disney Characters to play with. Some of my Disney photos I have posted on the site if you look at the food pictures you will see Disney Princesses or Mini My Little Pony dolls on the table. In the car, at restaurants, waiting in line these are great for both boys and girls. It does wonders for their imagainations too!
- Leap Frog Learning Systems – Our little one has grown up on Leap Frog. They do an excellent job teaching kids while having fun at the same time. One of my sweet peas favorite toys is the Leap Frog Scribble & Write. She is learning her upper case and lower case letters, drawing different objects, and playing guessing games. It is very portable and the puppy on there is very cute..Ruff Ruff.. Another great teaching toy is the Leap Frog Leapster Learning Systems. The Leapster handhelds offers a robust learning experience through built-in tutorials and learning levels that adapt automatically to your child’s pace. Its touch screen and stylus help develop motor skills used in writing, while its compact design makes traveling easy. There are tons of teaching games from all kinds of Disney Characters for these systems as long as you don’t mind spending a little money. This was one of the best investments we have ever made for our child!
I hope this small list will help you keep your toddler busy the next time you are waiting in line at one of the Disney Parks. I find that if she is happy it can make for a great day, but if she is fussy it makes for a horrible experience even if it’s at the greatest place on Earth.
If you have any other tips let me know in the comment section below.
>>Chip
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were a socialist country now..communism was so 80’s
I find that whispering “Settle down! Kids in communist countries never get to meet Mickey!” thru clenched teeth helps too.
Kidding!!!