Most of our time during Mardi Gras is spent waiting. For children this waiting can be hard. Really really hard. It's long and sometimes boring with nothing to do, especially if the streets are still filled with traffic. Keeping the kids entertain isn't just for your sanity, it's for their safety. That's why we put together this list of eight activities that you can do with the kids while waiting for the parade, including our FREE Mardi Gras Printable Activity Pack.
Bubbles
Bubbles are fun and children big and small LOVE them. Big kids can help keep the little ones entertained by blowing the bubbles for you to catch. You can have a competition to see who can blow the biggest bubble. This is one things in our parade bag every year that everyone enjoys. I buy them in bulk and ration them out over the season.
Sidewalk Chalk
This is an activity usually reserved for after the streets are shut down because we stand on the neutral ground side. The kids love creating art on the street with sidewalk chalk and it usually helps pass the time before the parade gets there.
Read
You can bring a book to read, but that's added bulk when you're arms are already overloaded. Download the Kindle app on your phone or bring your Kindle. With Kindle Unlimited you can download books and read them all season long for just $9.99 a month. We are currently reading the Harry Potter Series, which is available on Kindle Unlimited. Reading aloud isn't just an activity for little kids, research shows it has great benefits for older kids too. Not into reading, download the Audible App from Amazon and set up an account. You can get a free 30 Day Trial that comes with two free books! Let the kids listen to their favorite audiobook while you wait.
Eat
No one is happy waiting when they are hungry. In fact my little one gets HANGRY when she's hungry. So not only is she not wanting to wait, but she's voicing this loudly. I try and keep small bags of chips and other snacks in my parade bag.
Have A Dance Party
Download your favorite music app like Amazon Music Unlimited, bring out a little bluetooth speaker and DANCE! Bonus points if you remember any of the routines from your dance team days and can teach them to your kids!
Play Ball
Grab a soft football and let the kids play ball and run off some energy while they wait! We suggest soft balls in case someone accidentally gets hit.
Coloring Books
Get some coloring books and colored pencils and let them color their little hearts out. My 7 yr old prefers the “adult” coloring books to the kid ones. She loves the Disney Princess and Frozen ones. They also have Harry Potter and Star Wars themed books!
Bead Dogs
If you have some beads hanging around you can make bead dogs with them! The kids will LOVE this.
Mardi Gras Printable Activity Pack
We worked with our partners at Northshore Parent in putting together this awesome FREE printable packet of activities. There is a Mardi Gras crossword puzzle, a Mardi Gras word search, coloring and activity pages! It's full of FUN! Print it out, bring a clip board and colored pencils and HAVE FUN! Click the image below to download the pack! For the the smaller parade goers, check out our Mardi Gras Preschool Printable.
What do your kids do to pass the time while waiting for the parade?
