All you need for this game is paper and markers – that’s it! It literally doesn’t get simpler, but pull out those two things and watch the fun begin.

There are two ways to play, which may depend on your child’s age, or just which they prefer. For the first version, the adult can draw a doodle, and the child turns it into a picture.

Whops, I thought, after making a first looping doodle for Travis: did I make it too hard?

But Travis didn’t miss a beat before drawing a smile and declaring, “This is a snail.”

Then he wanted to do the second version: he drew “scribble scrabbles” and asked me to turn them into pictures of something. This red scribble…

…became hair on a head!

A very detailed silly scribble…

…turned into a caterpillar on a tree branch.

Pretty soon, he was off and running, not even needing me but just enjoying his own scribbles, including this creature with 6 eyes.

This game works equally well on napkins with markers…which makes it perfect for times you’re waiting in a restaurant, or otherwise on the go! In sum, if you have a little time to while away, it’s the ideal activity.