Tip—Make use of simple things you have around the house to entertain or distract a fussy child.

It’s wintertime and ’tis the season for cold and flu bugs. Which means that we’re more often in the waiting room at the doctor’s office than we’d like. When you’re cooped up with a fussy, not-feeling-so-great kid, having a few tricks in your bag to entertain or divert can really be a godsend. It’s a little harder with younger children who can’t so easily read a chapter book or bring their homework along, but don’t despair, there’s still lots to do.

Tools—Sandi Dexter, preschool teacher and author of Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends, offers a few fun ideas for entertaining young children.

• Soft Snake Puppet: If you have a few extra minutes before you leave, grab an unmatched athletic sock and a permanent marker. “Knee-high tube socks make great soft snakes,” says Dexter. Take the marker and make two eyes and a mouth at the toe end. A smiling face can spark a return smile from a frowning child. Put it on your arm and play with it like a puppet. Let your child use it the same way.

• Tape Play: Toddlers love to play with tape. An extra roll of scotch tape or an old, nearly-used roll of masking tape is a great way to keep a young child occupied. Grab an old magazine or a few pages of construction paper and let him sit on the floor and tape to his heart’s content.

• Things to keep in a grab bag: It’s a good idea to keep a few, fun things in a bag that your child only gets to play with when she is in a waiting room or perhaps on a long car trip. Some ideas might be:

  Tiny containers of play dough Oversized rubber dice Small animal figures or dolls Finger puppets Unbreakable mirror

  Large magnets Small Slinky Board books Small Magna-doodle toy Crayons and pad of paper

What if you’re completely stranded without supplies and your child is fussy and bored? Borrow some paper and a pencil from the receptionist and let her draw. Grab a magazine and look at the pictures with your child. Even adult magazines have pictures of horses, dogs, and houses. Many parenting magazines have pictures of child products in their ads. Sing a song or chant nursery rhymes. Do finger plays such as, “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple. . .” Make a small footed cup out of a foil gum wrapper (wrap one end around your finger to form the cup and then twist the end to form the base). Invite your child to take it to the water cooler and “get a drink.” Draw a face on your finger, and one on your child’s, and make them into puppets. Let the puppets talk to each other. Use your imagination and have fun.

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends by Sandi Dexter.

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