Keeping boys occupied

[Angelmonkey]

I am soon to be taking 4 boys (2 10 year old, 2 9 year old) out for a meal, any ideas to keep them occupied while we wait for their food? None of them have phones, and although they all use tablets at home, we won’t be taking them. My son (10) will do quiz books or play cards when out but I was hoping for some ideas they could do together. The other boys prefer games consoles to card games so probably don’t know how to play! Help!

Uno or dobble are always favourites in this house x

Was going to say uno
Trivial pursuit or top trumps related to their interests

My dc used to play Top Trumps when out for dinner. Get a new set that they don't know. Small, easy to play, and lasts ages.

Alternatively get a list of discussion questions together and do them as a group. EG Would you rather have £500 or a trip into space? If you could be any animal, which would you be able why? If you could choose to be invisible or to fly, which would you choose? You need to keep the questions age appropriate, obviously!

@iamruth I was going to suggest them!

Well they’re not toddlers so they’ll probably just chat amongst themselves about gaming stuff if they’re into that. I don’t see a huge problem really. I’ve never had an issue with any boys that age. It’s probably more you that will need to stop yourself going on your phone as if it’s school friends they won’t want someone’s Mum taking over the conversation when they’re trying to talk about Messi or Elon Musk.

Sometimes though when we were out just as a 4 at that age we played the “I went to the market and bought a….” memory game. They used to like coming up with the most wacky things. So not your usual “a bunch of bananas, a pair of trousers etc” but things like “a Scream mask, some piranha fish, 3 trampolines and a gold tooth.” They used to love that, lots of giggles at people’s creativity. We still play it occasionally now they’re late teens if service is very slow somewhere but I’m always out first due to perimenopause brain ha ha

Or Chinese whispers. probably not good these days with social distancing though….

Couldn't you all sit and chat.

Why do you feel the need to entertain children of that age? Surely they can sit and talk and wait for their meal. I took my daughters out when they were three and five for meals and didn’t take anything then. Goodness me, why are expectations of behaviour so low?

It would be nice to sit and chat but difficult due to interests - one knows nothing about gaming, they are not avid sports fans, one is a couple of years behind the others mentally and emotionally. We have dobble so will take that and maybe get some new top trumps cards

Yes it’s a sad state of affairs if kids that age can’t sit there without getting out a tablet or a card game. They have each other for entertainment.

Also came on to say Uno...or fidget spinners, poppers, Rubix cube

I assume that they are mates? Will they not just chat about minecraft? If they into football, or Pokémon or similar, you could get them all a pack of trading cards from whsmiths.

Too trumps also

Just conversation, or top trumps.

I think it’s time they were able to go to a meal to sit and chat without any external entertainment. They’re not babies so stop treating them as being incapable.

I was going to ask why they needed amusing and why you couldn't just chat, but then I realised that many adults have also lost the ability to chat and would probably just stare at their phones.
Take this as an opportunity to reintroduce conversation! And one part of general conversation is finding a topic to talk about that everyone can join in, or at least not excluding one person for too long.

They might just chat but I would like to go prepared just in case. My son is perfectly capable of having a conversation when we go out, but prefers to play a card game or do word puzzles, I don’t know what his friends are like when they go out for dinner. I have never taken a tablet or phone for my children to play on, I suspect his friends parents have.

@Angelmonkey

They might just chat but I would like to go prepared just in case. My son is perfectly capable of having a conversation when we go out, but prefers to play a card game or do word puzzles, I don’t know what his friends are like when they go out for dinner. I have never taken a tablet or phone for my children to play on, I suspect his friends parents have.

I would have thought half the point of going out for a meal (at this age) was to chat to your friends? Otherwise why not get a takeaway at home and save the bother?

If they’re friends they’ll be used to talking to one another in downtime. They’ll talk in line at school, at lunch, at break. They’ll know their share interests and I wouldn’t expect them to need a parent to direct them at that age. Try not to overthink it.

Travel Connect 4?

Although it's probably unnecessary unless you're likely to wait an exceptionally long time for the food.

Are they all friends? Why are you going out for the meal? Presumably as it's just you and the boys then it's something arranged for them so I don't see why you'd need special entertainment for them. Definitely not in the same way as you would make sure young kids have something to entertain themselves with if parents want to enjoy a longer, more leisurely meal.

Just let them chat to each other