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How to entertain your child with a business card: meet Chompy!

March 21, 2017 by Meg 12 Comments

Next time you’re waiting at the doctor’s office, a restaurant, or the bank, grab a business card off the counter nearby and entertain your child with this simple trick.

Next time you're waiting at the doctor's office, a restaurant, or the bank, grab a business card off the counter nearby and entertain your child with this simple trick.When I was a kid, we had a VHS (yep, those were the good ol’ days!) called “101 Things for Kids to Do.” It featured Sheri Lewis and Lamb Chop. Remember that horribly unforgettable song that never ends?…Sorry if it just resurfaced in your mind after being buried for a decade. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself lucky and take my advice: DON’T go look it up.

Anyhow, I used to LOVE watching that video. It really did have a bunch of fun ideas of simple games, projects, and experiments that kids could do with little to no adult supervision. I’ve forgotten many of them over the years, but there are a few that have endured, and that I’ve now used with my own kids.

I’m going to share one of these ideas with you today. Why? Because it’s a perfect way to entertain your kids when you’re caught waiting somewhere unexpectedly and your arsenal of mom-activities in your massive diaper bag runs out.

The best part? You only need a business card…which can easily be found in most places I end up waiting with my kids. Doctors’ offices, restaurants, stores, banks…they all have business cards sitting smartly on the counter, just waiting to be used for something fun.

So, the next time you go to a restaurant and the wait is longer than you expected, or when your babysitter falls through and you have to take your child with you to an appointment, try this simple activity.

How to make your own business card creature

AKA – “Chompy”

Materials needed:

  • business card (or an index card, or any kind of thicker paper)
  • a pen (optional, but more fun)

Directions:

  1. Hold your card in the middle of the long edges with your thumb and middle finger.
  2. Using the other hand, fold it in half, but DON’T crease it (leave the folded side as a big curve).
  3. Press the knuckle of your index finger into the middle of the folded side to create a dent.
  4. Squeeze your thumb and middle finger together slightly to watch the “mouth” open and close.
  5. If you feel so inclined, draw a face on the outside of the card. Then, PLAY!*Note: If you want to get really fancy and draw a face, you’ll need a pen. Thankfully,ย most places usually have them sitting right next to the business cards.

    Next time you're waiting at the doctor's office, a restaurant, or the bank, grab a business card off the counter nearby and entertain your child with this simple trick.

How to play with your card creature:

  1. Start by just showing your child the card creature. You can name it together if you choose…Carl? Constance? Chompy?
  2. Have Chompy “eat” (try to pick up) things on the counter.
  3. Have Chompy “eat” your child’s fingers, nose, ears, etc.

I’m pretty sure I’ve used this before with my kids, but when I made it for them this week (so I could take pictures to share with you), it was as if they’d never seen it before. And they LOVED it!

I showed it to Little Man first, while Little Brother was napping. Then, when I went to wake up Little Brother from his nap, he brought Chompy along to show his brother. Miracles of miracles…my little boy who has been waking up so grumpy lately, instead woke up laughing. He was SO amused by this simple parlor trick, especially when we used Chompy to pick up things on the table as we ate our snack. Hooray for simple joys.

Next time you're waiting at the doctor's office, a restaurant, or the bank, grab a business card off the counter nearby and entertain your child with this simple trick.

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Filed Under: Crafts & Activities Tagged With: Activities, entertain your child, toddler

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. tineke - workingmommyabroad

    March 22, 2017 at 9:19 am

    This is so simple yet so genius!!!

    Reply
  2. Dara

    March 22, 2017 at 10:46 am

    I saw this on your instagram and thought it was so cute! By the way, yes I do remember the song that never ends. UGH!

    Reply
    • Meg

      March 22, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Sorry to remind you of the song, Dara. ๐Ÿ™‚ But, I’m glad you like Chompy.

      Reply
  3. Vicki @ Babies to Bookworms

    March 22, 2017 at 1:09 pm

    I love this!! What an easy and creative way to keep kids occupied while waiting!

    Reply
    • Meg

      March 22, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks, Vicki. It’s all about the simple.

      Reply
  4. Anna nuttall

    March 22, 2017 at 3:14 pm

    What a cute ideas. What a creative idea to keep them occupied. xx

    Reply
    • Meg

      March 23, 2017 at 2:27 pm

      Necessity is the mother of invention…and waiting in line with a toddler definitely requires inventive thinking! Thanks, Anna.

      Reply
  5. Charissa | thenotsobusymom

    March 23, 2017 at 6:47 am

    It’s the little things! Love it; thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Stephanie Lowry

    March 23, 2017 at 6:56 am

    This is so clever! My favorite thing about it is that it’s imaginitive and does not require toys or electronics!

    Reply
    • Meg

      March 23, 2017 at 2:24 pm

      Thanks, Stephanie. I am a big proponent of simple things that get kids off of screens.

      Reply
  7. Justine Y @ Little Dove

    March 23, 2017 at 7:44 am

    This is such a fun idea. It’s funny how we often forget how much kids get a kick out of the simple things like this!

    Reply
    • Meg

      March 23, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      I know! The other day I was telling my Little Man that he needed to take better care of his toys, or the only thing he would have to play with was a cardboard box. His response? “I LOVE cardboard boxes!” Simple is best. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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