Fascinating Fill-Up Faces: A Sure-Fire Way to Pass Time

It happened the way many things do....completely by accident and out of necessity.

My husband had stopped at the gas station on the way home from daycare with both boys one day. They were itching to get out of their car seats and go to the park, so they weren't being terribly cooperative about waiting while he filled his tank.

In an effort to try to keep them entertained, Daddy started making silly faces through the windows. It definitely made the boys giggle, and they even started making their own funny faces back at him. With the boys sufficiently distracted, Daddy was able to finish filling up the tank and they were on their way to play.

Now, every time we stop for gas, the boys insist on playing this game.  Mr. L. likes to make sure that no one misses out on the fun, and insists everyone gets their own turn.  It's hard to hear him through rolled-up windows, though, to determine who's turn he thinks it is.

Once again, our signs save the day!

I started signing YOUR-TURN to each of the boys who would come up with the silliest face they could then MY-TURN and I'd do the same.  This wasn't a brand new sign for any of us, but it was definitely a new context for it to be used!  At first, the boys would point along with my sign to whoever was to make the next super silly face.  Then, out of the blue one day, Mr. I. started using the sign all on his own.

We were on our way to an out of town birthday part and made a quick stop to fill up and grab a drink from the convenience store.  I was pumping gas while Daddy ran in to make our purchase.  I was a tad lost in my own thoughts and had forgotten about our gas station ritual.  The next thing I knew, I heard a little knock on the window, and Mr. I. was excitedly grinning and signing YOUR-TURN.  We each took a few turns making silly faces and signing YOUR-TURN while little bother snoozed in his car seat.

At 4, signs are not a daily part of our communication strategy with Mr. I. but our experience using the Signing Smart tools and strategies definitely still serve him well.  He is able to pull out signs at exactly the right moment to make sure he's fully understood!

What are your favorite ways to pass the time for your little ones while you run errands?