Waiting games for family outings can be as small as one clue, one choice or one sentence. If you are waiting for a table or sitting before an appointment, try a game that needs no equipment and can finish as soon as the wait does.
The three ideas below are invitations to play together, with sample exchanges you can change. They are not a promise to fill a particular number of minutes. Choose one your child is interested in, and leave the next turn optional.
Choose a game for the pause
Start with a simple invitation: “Would you like to guess something, choose something silly or change a little story?” You can name just one option instead of explaining all three. A familiar object or favourite animal can be enough to begin.
Use these ideas while you are already in a place to pause, rather than turning the outing into a hunt for things. Keep the game small enough to set aside when someone calls your name, your table is ready or you need to talk with staff.
Raising Children Network’s guide to following your child’s lead suggests asking to join in and giving your child time to respond. That is a useful starting point here: offer an idea, then see whether your child wants to take it somewhere.
Game 1: two clues about one thing
Pick an object you can both see from where you are. Give two short details about it, such as a colour and a shape. Your child can guess the object, ask for another clue or choose the next thing.
Example: you are beside a window with a pot plant nearby. You say, “I’m thinking of something green, with pointy bits.” Your child says, “The plant?” You reply, “Yes. Would you like to give me a clue?” That can be the whole game.
This is a small variation on ‘I spy’. Raising Children Network’s ‘I spy’ activity guide explains that the game needs no special equipment and that clues can use colours or shapes instead of letters. The two-clue format and example here are suggestions, not its prescribed rules.
Make it simpler: offer a choice: “Do you think I mean the plant or the poster?” You can also name the object and invite your child to add a detail. If guessing loses its appeal, change to describing things together. There is no need to keep guessing until someone gets the answer.
Game 2: choose something wonderfully odd
Offer two imaginary possibilities and ask which your child would choose. Start with a character or object they recognise, then give it an unexpected choice. This game is about making something up; there is no correct explanation to find.
Example: “If a cloud had a wardrobe, would it choose yellow boots or a purple hat?” Your child chooses the boots. You might ask, “Where would the cloud wear them?” Perhaps the answer is a puddle party. Accept that as the end of the turn, or offer your own different idea.
You can swap the cloud for a familiar pretend character. Try, “Would a dragon’s library have tiny books or enormous books?” Your child might invent a third answer. Let that become the choice rather than bringing the conversation back to the two you offered.
Make it simpler: skip the follow-up question. Choosing “boots” is a complete contribution. If your child wants more, let them give you two options next. A short answer does not need to become a longer story, and you do not have to decide whose idea was funniest.
Game 3: change one part of a sentence
Say one short, made-up sentence. On the next turn, change one detail and say the new version. Keep only the current sentence; you are not building a list everyone has to remember.
Example: you begin, “A penguin carries a red bag.” Your child changes the colour: “A penguin carries a blue bag.” You change what it carries: “A penguin carries a blue balloon.” Your child could change the penguin into a frog, or decide that the story is finished.
Before starting, show what you mean with one change of your own. You can ask, “Shall we change the animal or the thing it carries?” If the whole sentence changes instead, use that as the new starting point. The rule is there to offer an idea, not to correct someone’s story.
Make it simpler: repeat the sentence and leave one choice open: “A penguin carries a …?” Add your child’s answer and say it together. If you lose track, invent a fresh sentence. Each turn can stand on its own, so there is nothing to retrieve when the wait ends.
Let the game end without a final round
When it is time to move on, use a plain ending: “Our table is ready. We’re stopping the game here.” There is no score to settle or last turn to complete. If your child wants to return to it later, you can remember the favourite idea rather than the whole exchange.
It is also fine to stop while you are still waiting. A child who does not want another turn has not failed at the game. You can sit together, talk about something else or leave the play for another occasion.
For your next outing, remember the three starting prompts: two clues, two choices, one change. Use whichever fits the moment, with examples that interest your family. If you are separately planning toilet stops, our toilet-training outing checklist covers that preparation. A waiting game is simply an optional bit of play within the outing.