You can never have too many “anytime” activity ideas. There are many times when you need to find a way to occupy your child's attention. These activities are great fun whether you are waiting for a bus, sitting in a doctor's office, or you just want to take a few minutes to interact with your child. These are also great activities to share with other people who care for your child.

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Help pass the time by engaging your child in this simple game. As a bonus, this activity will help your child with categorization skills and will enhance his vocabulary development.

• Take turns being the leader with your child. The leader names a category, like television shows, ice cream, or flowers.

• Players take turns naming their favorite things within the category.

I Spy

This is the classic guessing game. Your child will be using observational and problem-solving skills when he plays.

• One person picks an object in the environment that is in plain view to all players. Then he recites the following chant, “I spy with my little eye something that is …” (red, tiny, fuzzy, and so on).

• Other players try to guess what that person has spied. The first person to guess correctly then takes a turn “spying” something.

Here Comes Daddy!

This is a great game to play when you are waiting to meet someone, like Daddy, in a public place. Depending on whom you plan to meet, this game might be called “Here Comes Grandma!” or “Here Comes Mommy!”

• While waiting for Daddy, watch the other people who are walking past. Start the game by pointing out someone who is clearly Daddy — the less like Daddy, the better. Enthusiastically, say “Here comes Daddy!”

• The other person responds by pointing out someone who looks even less like Daddy and exclaiming, “Noooooooooo, here comes Daddy!”

• Continue until Daddy arrives.

Handy Dandy

Here is a new version of a simple game.

• Show the child both of your hands. Place a small object such as a coin or a piece of candy in one of your hands. Remember, don't let your child have the object if she is still putting things in her mouth.

• Put your hands behind your back, and tell your child that you are moving the object from hand to hand.

• Close your hands into fists and bring them back to the front of your body. Hold one hand higher than the other.

• Recite the following poem and ask your child to guess which hand is holding the object:

  Handy dandy midley moe

  Which do you pick, the high or the low?

• When your child picks the correct hand you can either give him the object to keep or let him take a turn at hiding it.