To go along with TK’s post (Breakfast and a Game with Kids), I’ve got another game you will love to play with your family while you sit and wait around at a restaurant. In fact, this game is fun to play at camp or with a group of kids. You’ll be sure to have them confused!
Just a disclaimer, these may work better with kids who are older than 9 or so.
Okay, the game is called “Chinese Numbers.” This game is pictured. What you do is grab a bunch of sugar packets, condiments, toothpicks, or something else. Okay, now you make a pattern or something with the items and ask “what number is this?” Meanwhile, you have to discretely show X amount of fingers on the table. Check out the picture, see how she has only 8 of her fingers showing? I realize that some of the image has been cropped, but hopefully you get the idea.
But remember, your audience should NOT realize that the amount that is the answer to the question (what number is this?) is being shown to them by you. Instead, they should be focusing on the pattern that you have created with those items. So let’s say that they guess a number–five. You can let them guess some more, but eventually tell them that the number was actually 8.
Now, scramble up the items and create a new pattern. Put down a different amount (or the same) of fingers. The game continues like that until they realize the pattern and are able to tell you what the number actually is. So in reality, the true number has nothing to do with the items that you arrange; that’s merely a distraction.
If the kids need help, tell them that you can only make numbers up to 10. Unless, of course, you have more or less fingers.