My mom and I were recently dining out and we were seated close to a family with three, young children. They ranged in age from probably 2-6 and were three of the most well-behaved children we have seen. They all played at the table nicely, talked with each other quietly, and ate their lunch pleasantly. We were in awe at how their parents managed to have such a peaceful meal out with the whole family.
We discovered the secret: their parents had brought along an "entertainment bag" for the children to keep them busy and interested. My mom and I started discussing how great of an idea this was and brainstormed ideas for the essential components of the perfect "entertainment bag" to take along when dining out with the family.
We decided that a bag for each child would probably work best. We think it would work well to keep the bag in your car and only use the items when you are dining out - this will keep them exciting for the kids. Some of the ideas we came up with to include in the bag are:
* Crayola Twistables Crayons - no breaking, no mess, and always stay sharp
* Coloring books or drawing pads
* A "special" bib that is only used when dining out - emphasize how "special" the bib is to encourage the child to keep it clean
* Fun utensils that are only used when dining out
* Table Topics Conversation Cards - keep the conversation interesting and fun for the kids
The components of the "entertainment bag" would vary depending upon the age of the child, of course.
So moms, what are some of your ideas for creating the "entertainment bag"? Post a comment below to share your thoughts. I will then organize all of your ideas and compile the Entertainment Bag for Dining Out Essentials! Thanks for your ideas!
Happy Brainstorming!
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Hi Katie! I have two products that I use for this exact situation! One is the Fold-and-Go Organizer by Thirty-One. It comes in several cute patterns and you can view it by clicking on this link -http://thirtyone.dirxion.com/springsummer10/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.3.5.7.
ReplyDeleteI keep it filled with Crayola Twistables crayons, stickers, a notepad, and Crayola Color Wonder markers and pad and bring it along to restaurants for my two boys, ages 5 and 2 1/2. They only get to use it when we eat out, which does not happen too often, so it is special for them.
Another thing we take to restaurants is Thirty-One's Thermal Tote - http://thirtyone.dirxion.com/springsummer10/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.3.5.7.
It is easy for my little ones to carry and since it is insulated it can keep their drinks cold on a warm day. I also put snacks in it to keep them occupied while we wait for our food to arrive. It, too, comes in many different patterns.
You can view the current Thirty-One catalog on my website at www.mythirtyone.com/ayp.
Abbie Yocum Pappas
abbieyocum@yahoo.com