Children can get restless while flying and who can blame them? No room to run around and having to be quiet so they don’t disturb other passengers isn’t any fun at all. However, there are ways to entertain your kids on an airplane while keeping your sanity.
Interactive Learning Toys
Even if you are not a fan of electronics, these little devices really will entertain your kids on an airplane. LeapFrog’s LeapPad and Vtech’s InnoTab have plenty of apps to keep your child busy. My daughter has the LeapPad 2 and she can spend hours creating pictures on the art studio app as well as interactive learning games that really grab her attention. It is the perfect item to take on a plane, especially if it is going to be a long flight.
Books
If you have a child that loves to read, then bringing some books on board is a great idea to keep them entertained. If you have an e-reader like an Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook, you can find free children’s books to download to your device. Some of those e-books will also “read” to your child.
Portable DVD Player
Everyone loves to watch movies and one of the easiest ways to entertain your kids on an airplane is to let them have some screen time. Bring some of their favorite DVD’s and don’t forget the earplugs so the sound of wacky animated characters doesn’t bother the other passengers.
Art Supplies
If you have a little artist on your hands, then consider bringing along some art supplies. Pick things that will not make a mess, like crayons and colored pencils. In addition to packing a coloring book, bring along some paper so they can create their own pictures instead of having to color within the lines.
Simple Arts & Crafts
As with art supplies, you will want to be sure you don’t bring anything that will make a mess. Think about stickers and pipe cleaners. You can make finger puppets, make a paper bag mask or you can even try crocheting or some other needlework.
How To Pick Items To Entertain Your Kids on an Airplane
There are a lot of neat items that will entertain your kids on an airplane. The secret is to keep it simple, make sure it doesn’t take a lot of room and that it is nothing that will make a mess (stay away from markers and beads.) Take your child’s interests into consideration when thinking of what to pack to keep them busy.
What items have your packed or bought to entertain your kids on an airplane?
Our trick to make travelling with kids more bearable: audiobooks, and lots of them. There’s lot of great sites to download them. We just got a couple for free at this one, if anyone is interested. http://www.twirlygirlshop.com/stories-for-kids
You forgot Snacks and sleep! lol. But everything else is spot on! Flying with kids is hard, but doable. Your tips are great.
I would definitely pack a couple new toys to keep him entertained!
We have never flown with our toddler, but I think these are great ideas! We would definitely pack books and a few of his toys. Oh, and snacks too!