Keeping Little Ones Entertained During VA Visits

Who doesn’t love sitting in a cramped waiting room for hours? Your phone battery and patience start to dwindle. You run through your to-do list, thinking of all the tasks that could be accomplished while you wait to be seen. Then, your child huffs that phrase-

“I’m bored.”

Your parent senses tell you that you have approximately five minutes before calamity ensues. You need to keep your little one entertained, but how? We’ve gathered several ideas and tactics to keep your little helpers entertained at your next VA visit.

Busy books are a great, quiet-time activity for children between the ages of one to five. You can either purchase one or make your own! There are tons of free resources online to help you plan and design your busy book. Materials commonly used are felt, ribbons, grommets, shoelaces, and buttons. You might even have some of these materials cluttering up that junk drawer you’ve been meaning to clean out! Keep in mind your child’s fine motor and cognitive skills when making your book. Be sure to properly attach any small items that could be swallowed (or shoved up a nostril). Busy books can help children with practical skills like tying shoelaces or buttoning a coat. Creating your busy book together can even be an engaging activity for the home! Let your little one pick out their book’s theme or decorate the cover.

If you don’t have the time or energy to spare for arts and crafts (no judgment here), good old-fashioned car games can be adapted for the waiting room! Games like I Spy, Simon Says, or the Alphabet Game can easily (and quietly) be played in the drabbest waiting room. These games are more appealing to older kids and break up the monotony of scrolling through a phone or tablet. If the scenery of your waiting room is a little too sparse for a scavenger hunt, use an old magazine! Questions like “Can you find three pairs of brown shoes?” or “What is the silliest shirt you can find?” can keep you both entertained! Older kids may enjoy 20 Questions or trivia games. Keep score and make it a challenge! Offer prizes like ice cream for breakfast, a chore coupon, or a movie night to entice your reluctant kiddos to participate.

The trick to keeping most kids (and adults) entertained is variety. It's a good idea to keep all your children’s favorite activities in a specific, easily accessible location like a backpack or tote bag. You and your kids can pack up their activity bag the night before. Be sure to place the bag in a place you will remember on the day of the appointment. You can even leave it in your car overnight, making it one less thing to remember when you’re rushing out the door!

Trusty pens, pencils, and paper should always be a staple in your activity bag. Plenty of websites even offer free printables to use, filled with games to keep you and your kids busy. Revisit the classics from your childhood by teaching your kids games like tic-tac-toe and Hangman. These games are a great way to entertain and work on spelling and writing skills. Coloring books and crayons are always a good addition to any activity bag, but we recommend storing pens, pencils, and crayons in a pencil case or Tupperware container. The flimsy cardboard packaging that most crayons and colored pencils come in can be difficult for tiny hands to handle. A pencil case or plastic container can make it easier for your little one to pick which writing utensil they want to use without accidentally (or intentionally) dumping everything out onto the floor.

Another way to keep your kids entertained may not be their favorite, but it is a good use of their time. Homework. I know, we’re supposed to help you keep your kids happy and entertained, not create a mutiny in the waiting room! Sadly, homework can be a useful distraction. We recommend framing the topic of homework in a particular way to decrease the likelihood of unchecked exasperated sighs, grouchy grumbles, and monumental eyerolls. One way to approach homework is the “necessary evil” tactic. You need to fill out mountains of paperwork for your visit, and they need to finish their homework. Both tasks must be done, so why not do them together? Doing these joint tasks shows your children that boring things are important and worth doing, but it’s easier to do them in good company. It is no surprise that our children model our behavior as they learn and grow! That means you can instill lifelong, responsible habits while you wait for your name to be called. Parenting win!

Waiting can be difficult for anyone, especially our little ones, but with a little planning, you can make the experience as stress-free as possible. Our methods aren’t foolproof, and you know your children best! Feel free to take what works for you and your family and leave the rest. Dealing with medical visits and Veteran Affairs is almost always stressful and time-consuming. We hope that these tips and tricks have given you new ideas on how to navigate those tedious moments and break the boredom!