Waiting room games
Not always easy when you have to wait somewhere with children: at the doctor’s or elsewhere… the stress sometimes rises. So why not enjoy these moments instead? Need to take the kids to the doctor? Great, make it fun. Our children desperately need us to give them time to invent, discover and create new things. But they also need us to teach them to choose to be happy in certain situations and take advantage of the time they have to make special memories. Here are some ideas for waiting room games. Also Read: X Words
Waiting room games for children from 3 to 12 years old
Made-up story
It is simply a story that you create. One person starts the story (usually the adult), then each person adds a sentence to the story. Impossible to say where you will end up! But it’s a simple game that will bring a smile to kids’ faces.
Change
Dump change from your purse and count it. Then make imaginary things to buy and ask your child how much they would cost.
Don’t laugh
a player is chosen. Everyone must imitate him without laughing. If the player stands on one foot, so do the others. If he sticks his finger in his nose, they do too. Ah! The last player to not laugh wins, and maybe the next one that the others will have to imitate.
How many
the sky is the only limit in this game. How multiple squares can you visit on the ceiling? How many letters are there on this poster? How many different voices can you hear outside of this room?
Reading
is always a real treat for young readers. They love it! Just take them around the room to find all the words they know and read them. Or they can use a magazine to find all the words they know. They don’t need to read the whole sentence.
Would You Rather
Older kids love this game where you are faced with two choices and have to decide which of the two you prefer. Would you instead swim in a pool of ice or walk on hot concrete? Would you rather eat a bowl of cherries or a bowl of cereal? Feel free to ask crazy questions. Waiting room games are so much fun!
Things
In this game, players take turns naming things. The first player names a category, and then everyone tries to name something that fits that category until there are no more ideas. Example category: fruits, vegetables, cars, video games, etc.
We are going on a trip:
you say you are going on a trip, and then everyone must, in turn, name the things you will bring for this trip. Each item must begin with the following letter in the alphabet. Thus, the first element starts with A, the second with B, etc. With elder kids, you can boost the problem. For example, instead of saying we’re going on a trip, you say we’re going to the zoo (or the beach), and you have to name things from there.
I’ve never
This seems like a silly waiting room game, but kids will be happy to play it. You have to name something that you have never done or experienced. Everyone has two choices: being quiet or saying “I do.” Everyone must tell the truth, of course. The person who did the thing takes over. For example, I might say, “I was never a boy.” My son would say, “I do,” and then it would be his turn to say something he had never done.
Word game
In this game, players must quote two or three-word “sentences,” like a backpack. The next player must use the last word of the sentence to make a new sentence, like a speed bump. This is an excellent game for the vocabulary of older children!
Letter Hunt
Choose an alphabet letter and hunt it around the room. You can look in magazines or on posters on the wall, etc. If you have older children, have them search for whole words using the letter, then read them. You can also ask them to look for words that start with a particular sound like “ch.” It’s fun and educational at the same time.
Spelling bee
sometimes there can be a bit of competition. A spelling bee is perfect. Look around the room and ask the children to spell words, players who make a spelling mistake three times are eliminated. Perfect also for the vocabulary of adults. This game and the word game are ideal waiting room games for developing vocabulary and spelling.
Traditional Games
Of course, we cannot forget the traditional games. Also Read: X Words
You can print all of these waiting room game ideas by clicking on the orange “print PDF” button below, so you’ll always have the waiting room games to hand.
