Taking kids on a plane is every parent’s worst nightmare. Whether this is your first time or your 30th, you’re going to be dreading something about sitting your little one down for hours at a time. Even though you’re getting a vacation out of it, you’ve got to travel there first, and who knows how well that’ll go? 

After all, there’s nowhere to sneak off to if they get bored or cranky and start crying, and all the other passengers are going to be wondering where the noise is coming from! 

All in all, it’s a stressful time for everyone. But does it have to be? No! That’s why you need some handy entertainment tips in your life right now! And thankfully, we’ve been there and done that; it’s why we’ve made a quick guide about the best ways to keep toddlers and young children entertained on a flight down below.

 

Pack a Small Activity Case

If you’ve got the space for it, pack a small box filled with coloring sheets, crayons, activity books, pens and plain paper, and even some craft instructions for your child to use. When you’re at the crux of your flight, break out the activity case (which shouldn’t be too hard to fit into a carry-on, so use that as a size guide!), and get them to work their way through it. When the time comes to get back on the plane for the way home, you can ‘refill’ the box with a few new things to do. 

Buy a Couple of Travel Board Games

The more your child has to play with, the easier it’s going to be to keep their mind off what’s going on around them. And travel board games can be a lot of fun when you take part in them too. It gives your child some direction in using them, and ensures they’ve got a high-value opponent to beat: mommy or daddy! 

So buy a couple from the airport before you set off – the boxes themselves shouldn’t be too hefty, so you’ll be able to pack them into your suitcase when you touch down again without much trouble. 

Download Their Favorite Videos

If they love a certain cartoon, or maybe they watch a lot of certain Youtuber’s videos, download a few episodes to your phone before you set off. Don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy – this is easier to do than you might realize! 

Indeed, it’s easy to save videos from instagram, and you can download the Youtube Kids app which does it all for you anyway. It’s best to use a tablet for this, to ensure you don’t overload your mobile, but if that’s all you have you can still make it work! 

 

Prepare a Reading List

If your child loves to read, get them to write down a few book titles they’d like to take with them on the plane. Once they’ve handed the paper back to you, simply make sure those books are packed into their bag for taking onto the flight. A good reading list is varied, and has a few different genres to pull from – the more stories they can get sucked into, the less time and energy they’ll have to fuss around. 

 

Encourage Their Imagination

All kids have it, and sometimes it just needs encouragement! Talk through stories with them and get them to make up characters, creatures, and settings. 

 

Gift Them a New Toy

A new toy is always exciting! You might not remember the feeling yourself, but the joy of a new toy often outweighs the feeling that preceded it. Why not buy a small toy or two from the airport before you get on the plane? Just make sure your child doesn’t see you pick it up, as it needs to be a surprise! 

From a bag of toy dinosaurs to a small LEGO kit, you can give them a wonderful new thing to play with, and seeing as they weren’t expecting to get it, they’re going to be in a happy mood for at least a good couple of hours. 

Keeping kids entertained is one of the hardest jobs as a parent! But when you’re on a flight, you don’t have to be trapped next to a complaining child the whole way. You can provide plenty of things to do, even without screens if you’d rather. Just make sure you pack some items like those above to offer out when times get dire!