Boredom Busters

From the grocery store to the doctor's office, Parenting magazine shares fun ways to keeps kids entertained anywhere where they go. Rachel Fishman Feddersen, director of Parenting.com stopped by with "waiting games."

WAITING GAMES AND VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

They include:
1. A sweet deal
Arrange the silverware in a tic-tac-toe grid and use packages of sugar (white) and artificial sweetener (pink) as X's and O's. 4 and up

2. Pepper picker-upper
Sprinkle a teaspoon each of salt and pepper onto a napkin. Have your child rub a plastic spoon (not one you'll eat with!) on his hair for about a minute. Then, if he holds the spoon over the napkin, you can watch as the static electricity makes the pepper -- but not the salt -- jump onto the spoon. 4 and up

3. Got a stamp?
Make a show of hiding stamps in all of your child's pockets. Have her search for where you actually put them. 2 and up

4. Little Picasso
In the exam room, whip out a crayon so your child can draw on the paper covering the table. Older kids can play tic-tac-toe or hangman. 18 months and up

5. Hide-and-seek
Grab three paper cups from the sink and turn them upside down. Hide the cotton ball under a cup, switch the cups around, and see if your child can guess where the ball is. Try it again -- and then give him a chance to trick you. 3 and up

6. Banana notes
Pick up a banana and let your kid draw a picture on the skin with a pencil eraser. By the time you get home, your artist's work will magically appear -- just in time for a snack! 3 and up

For more waiting games, pick up a copy of Parenting magazine or log onto http://www.parenting.com/article/Toddler/Behavior/Great-Waiting-Games.