Simple Thinking Games

Are your kids bored while they are waiting for food in a restaurant or while waiting in the doctor's office? Yes, they do get the little coloring pages in some places with the mazes, etc. and books are great in the doctor's office, but sometimes it is fun to mix things up with a few thinking games! One of my family's favorite thinking games is called Guess the Animal. We take turns giving clues or answering questions about an animal. We name the habitat and/or the country that it is from and then the other players take turns asking questions until they can guess the name of the animal. For example: My animal lives in the desert and is a reptile. Then my husband or one of my daughters might ask- Is it green? Does it have scales? etc. We love this game because not only does it teach our kids about different animals, habitats, and geography, but it connects us as a family.

Another simple game that we like to play and is very popular with little kids is good ole' Eye-Spy. We enjoy playing this in our doctor's office, because the walls are covered with colorful, painted murals. We often spy the color of something, but you can also vary this game by searching for things of a certain shape- "I spy with my little eye something that is a circle or triangle."

Concentration is a great thinking game that my daughters request often when we are waiting somewhere. We take turns coming up with a category and then all of the players need to think of something in this category. The rule is that you can't repeat a word that someone else says. For example: The category is fruit- 1st player: mango, 2nd player: grapes, 3rd player: strawberries and so on. You try to go as fast as you can to come up with answers. There is even a little hand jive that goes with it where you tap your lap twice and clap once, but it isn't necessary if you don't want to disturb others in the restaurant.

If you have any great thinking games that you play with your families, please share! I'd love to try some new games with my girls!