Restaurant Boxes (DIY Fine Motor Fun)
I have a confession..
I have been carrying around random zip-lock bags of thera-putty and bags of beads and strings in my purse for about three years now.
Why on earth would you do such a thing, you might ask? Because I’m sure you can imagine how just one more thing totally adds to the mom-purse dilemma. You know, the one where you go on one short trip to or from preschool and you end up with the contents of what looks to be food and supplies for a small tribe of Indians!
Why the heck would I want to encourage you to add one more thing into that shameful mom-pile??
No, its not because I’m taking crazy pills. It’s because there is nothing worse than the wait for food at a restaurant with hangry and busy-bodied children.
Especially when you don’t always want to pop a device in front of your child, because said device only decreases child’s ability to control impulses and attention skills, according to research.
Dont get me wrong, we use devices quite frequently in our home, but I do my best to not use it every single time my kids are bored.
Waiting on your food at the restaurant, waiting at the doctors office, waiting to get your oil change with the kids, long road trips, Oy vey, is parenting full of lots of waiting!
Patience is a virtue, people. Something I am learning myself along the way but also something even more challenging to teach to children.
The truth is I would much rather let my kids play and refine their hand skills than be zombified by Paw-Patrol for an hour. Maybe its the OT in me (ok, its definitely the OT in me) Maybe its the perfectionist (yeah, its definitely a little bit of that too). I don’t know guys. But I will say these little restaurant boxes have saved me more times than I can count.
So today, I am spilling the beans to my long kept secret to restaurants with kids peace.
Enter, the restaurant box.
:Sigh of relief:
......
So, I fill these little guys with all sorts of simple fine motor activities and pop them open when my kids are getting antsy. It buys me just enough time to look at the menu, order food for everyone and possibly even have a bite of my own food.
I include all different sorts of simple fine motor activities. Here’s what I put in mine:
A few crayons
Thera-putty (sort of like resistive play-dough) and small beads to push in and take out if it
all different sorts of strings and beads (big and small) with different sized strings and felt pipe cleaners for my youngest (easier)
A pair of tweezers and these tiny erasors to practice pinch and grasp when putting things in/out of cups and bowls
The best part is that they are extremely inexpensive and simple to make and you can tailor them to your own child’s interests and age group. You can switch out the items at any time and keep these boxes on deck in the mom-bag at all times for those desperate times (you know the ones I’m talking about).
These containers I found on amazon on the perfect size to keep stowed away in your purse and have handy-dandy compartment separators and locks to keep from spillage. So what are you waiting for?? Go fill up some boxes for some restaurant peace and quiet. Maybe even pretend to have a date-night with your hubs with your kids in tow?
Comment below and let me know what types of tricks you use to keep your own kiddos busy when eating out!
