Going out to eat with the family seems like a fun plan. This may be because many of us parents do it so rarely: It’s easy to forget how much of your meal you’ll spend policing table manners, entertaining bored kids, and retrieving small items from underneath restaurant tables. (Yuck.)
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Pack a busy bag full of activity books and easy reads, and you can keep your kids occupied, build academic skills, AND enjoy your meal.
Building your restaurant kit is easy. It will take you all of five minutes to pack these write-and-wipe workbooks, sensory reads, and stories about animals and dinosaurs. Best of all, there are no crayons, markers, or small pieces to keep track of — so you can enjoy each other’s company instead of spending the outing under the table looking for lost treasures. Plus: This bag also works wonders in airports, planes, trains, the park ... or when one of your children needs to sit on the sidelines of their sibling's karate practice.
Write-and-Wipe Workbooks for Busy Minds
Early learners will love Scholastic’s write-and-wipe workbooks. Kids can practice their ABCs — both upper and lowercase! — with Write-and-Wipe ABC 123. Or, mix in some shape and color identification with My Busy Write-and-Wipe. (These workbooks are also good for keeping kids occupied during long waits at urgent care — ask us how we know.)
Got a first grader who’s eager to show off their academic skills to parents and family members? Our First Grade Wipe-Clean Workbook will give them a chance to flaunt their knowledge of phonics, reading, writing, and math. They’ll be having such a good time, they won’t even notice that they’re developing their fine motor coordination and practicing skills that will pay off at school.
Read more about the beloved write and wipe workbooks that last.
Sensory Fun for Preschoolers
The toddler and preK set love to learn with their hands, and these books will help them do it. Early learners will love My Busy Shiny Touchy Smelly ABC, which comes with scratch-and-sniff on every page as well as shiny, traceable letters. Meanwhile, My Busiest Book Ever (Touch and Explore) offers singsong text, textured pages, and even an embedded popper.
Toss these in your diaper bag (or the equivalent, once you have slightly older kids to entertain) and enjoy going out to eat while your kids learn.
Cute Animals With a Side of Skills Building
Animal lovers will adore Scholastic Early Learners: My Busy Farm Book, featuring interactive touches to keep kids busy, engaged, and learning. Like all our Early Learners books, this title was created with academic experts and is focused on reinforcing the skills your child is building at school and at home.
But what if your child’s interests run more to the toothy than the adorable? Chomp! Chomp!: I'm a Shark lets your kiddo interact with sharks via moving tabs on every page. Make a tiger shark’s tail swish and a great white shark’s teeth chomp!
Dinosaurs (Because Dinosaurs Are Awesome)
No busy bag would be complete without dinosaurs, and we’ve got plenty. Fill your diaper bag or tote with Scholastic Early Learners: My Busy Write-and-Wipe: Dinosaurs or Dino Ranch: Wild Dino Round-Up! (Water Wonder Storybook). Either will let your child build academic and fine motor skills without you having to pack a million crayons and markers on your restaurant outing.
Or maybe your dino enthusiast loves board games (but you don’t feel like hauling a whole set to a restaurant for family dinner). Let's Play: Bingo: Dinosaurs offers all the fun of a traditional bingo game, plus an interactive spinner and plenty of chances to win.
Plus, dinosaur fans will adore this lighthearted series full of life lessons.
Ready to stock your busy bag for family restaurant trips? Find ideas and shop all kinds of activity books at The Scholastic Store. You can search by grade and age, format and subject, series and character, and more. Or skip straight to workbooks and activity books and find your kid’s next favorite.
