During the holidays, families frequently travel on airlines. For some of us, it is just a short one or two hour trip, but for others, it can be for many hours. When traveling with children, there are numerous things to consider regarding how your children spend their time and how they behave toward other passengers. No person wants to be a victim of a child kicking the airplane seat from behind out of pure boredom or a lack of manners (I have been the victim of this many times) or having to deal with a cranky, restless child. Parents are encouraged to be prepared. Here are a few fun-filled activities to keep your children occupied during flights:
1. Reading. Bring some of your children’s favorite books on board. You can read them to your children or let them read the books themselves. If your child is a fast (or indecisive) reader, it may be best to have a digital version of several books on a tablet or E-reader so they have options from which to choose. Pop up books are especially entertaining for toddlers, but for smaller children, hard back books and pages are better!
2. Crafts. Crafts can get fairly messy and many are not appropriate for planes, but one that has garnered a lot of popularity is sticker art. All you will need is a book of stickers and another book with blank paper. Or, there are books with both stickers and blank sheets of paper together- how convenient! Your children will definitely enjoy making their own creations with the stickers. In fact, you can encourage them to even leave a little decorative art piece for the crew.
3. Movies. This is one of the easiest and hassle-free ways to pass the time. Watching their favorite movie - or a brand new one - will keep your little ones entertained for an hour or two. There are children’s portable DVD players as well as small laptops that can be accompanied with headphones. You can also search beforehand for episodes of their favorite TV shows and download them. My sons would often watch the same shows over and over again.
4. Doodling. A nice alternative to a bunch of crayons is an Etch-A-Sketch. It allows your children to create several drawings without dropping (and having to search for) a single crayon.
Bringing along their favorite snacks and drinks is also very important, as it satisfies their hunger and thirst and further prevents their ears from popping during takeoff and landing. Often, it does not matter if they ate before they get on board a plane, as children always seem to be hungry or thirsty.
All parts of family travel should be enjoyable experiences for you and others. The key is to prepare beforehand. Happy travels!