Keeping Kids Entertained – Travel friendly toys and games
Its true for everyone, not just kids, that time flies when your having fun! And when you’re flying with kids you really want time to fly, (pun intended). So keeping kids entertained with fun activities that are travel friendly is a top travel tip for successful family travel.
Keeping kids entertained can be an effort on the best of days, but when you’re travelling on a long haul plane flight, it’s an even bigger challenge and requires some planning and preparation. So we thought we would share with you some of our top tips for keeping kids occupied!
Ipads and tablets are obviously really great tools for keeping kids entertained. Allowing them watch their favourite shows, movies and play games pre-downloaded on their device will help pass a lot of travel time. Netflix and Stan Apps are great with the ability to download shows before travelling and watch them even with no Wi-Fi connection. Just don’t forget to charge all devices prior to travel!
If you want to limit your kids screen time and give them a nice break from technology, you will want to consider alternative entertainment options. However, with strict hand luggage limits these days you really don’t want to be carrying around a bag full of heavy and bulky toys and games that your kids might not play with for very long. So it is best to be smart about games and toys, only take portable, compact and lightweight items that are designed to keep kids occupied for long periods. Also you want to take games and toys that are travel friendly and don’t have multiple small parts that can easily be dropped and lost under seats. You may also like to avoid games and toys that make loud noises to prevent you having to hear the same sounds repetitively during the trip and to abstain from frustrating your fellow passengers for the same reason.
So, what type of games and toys should you pack to keep kids occupied and having fun? Well there are some really great options out there! We recommend products that entertain and educate, kids really do learn through play. Travelling with games and toys that encourage creativity and the use of imagination are great for growing minds and are more likely to be played with for longer as children can make new stories and scenarios up each time they play.
Some really great products you can find include books and activity sets for drawing and colouring (just don’t forget the pencils!) and magnetic play scenes and design boards are really fantastic for imaginative play, plus help develop kids fine motor skills. Other fun things we find suitable for travel include sticker books, puzzle books, water colouring books, journals, packs of cards, yoyos and small toys that are portable and easy to pack (hanging toys you can click to their backpacks are good!).
We at Kooshy Kids love Tiger Tribe products in particular as they are of high quality, portable and thoughtfully designed encouraging independent creative play, they are just perfect for travelling kids.
To make life even easier for travelling families there are pre-packaged activity sets full of fun travel friendly kids entertainment items now available!!! The Kooshy Kids Ultimate Travel Kit is packed full of the best quality products to keep kids of all ages occupied for hours. All of the products have been selected with travel in mind, no mess or parts that are easily lost...and all can be maintained within the space of an airline line seat!
A small lightweight storybook can also be good to travel with; children can practice reading or simply enjoy a familiar story and its pictures. If you have a routine of reading a book before bed you may like to do this before sleep time during your journey. Another tip, taking a favourite soft toy along for the adventure may be of comfort for some kids and help them enjoy the journey. Plus if it’s a soft toy they usually sleep with, it can also help with getting them to nap during the flight.
It’s a good idea to pack some snacks in your carry-on luggage to take onboard. Not only are snacks great for preventing the kids from getting hungry (and cranky) they are also a good way to pass some time and keep kids quiet.
Letting your kids walk around the plane can be good entertainment as is discussing your destination and all the fun things you will do when you arrive!
We hope that you've enjoyed hearing about our tip!