Top Ten Toyless Ways to Occupy Kids on Planes
Let your child phone his imaginary friends with the TV remote. :) That's my four-year-old on a flight to Spain, Feb. 2008.
by Wendy Perrin
Yesterday's USA Today reported that "air travel is slower than at any time in the past two decades. . . . Congestion on the ground and in the sky is adding more than an hour to some routes as planes take longer to taxi and fly to their destinations. . . . Airlines are building extra time into their schedules, adding as much as 50% to expected flight times."
All that extra time we get to spend on planes is particularly enjoyable for parents of young children. Since this week the blogosphere has been big on games you can play with your travel companions--over at Vagabondish, Amanda Kendle offered up 5 Games for the Road: How to Pass the Time with Nothing but Your Fellow Travelers for Entertainment, and Debbie over at DeliciousBaby shared her tips for Surviving Flight Delays With Kids by engaging in imaginative play and thinking games for which no toys or electronics are required--I figure I oughta join the club. So here are my top ten tips for child-friendly games you can play on an airplane that take up zero space in your carry-on:
(10) If your child can read, play the "Find the city" game using the airline route map in the magazine in the seat pocket in front of you.
(9) Child can't read yet? Take out the aircraft safety card--it has lots of pictures--and play "Find the red X's," followed by "Find the yellow swim floaties," "Find the giant slide," etc. This is good for learning the alphabet too: "Find the A" (as in Airbus), "Find the B" (as in Boeing), "Find the C" (as in "EmergenCy Exit").
(8) Play "What shape is that cloud?" where your child decides which cloud out the window looks like a circle, which looks like a dinosaur, which looks like a Care Bear, etc.
(7) Play the "Guess how many minutes it will take the ice cubes in my drink to melt?" game (good for practicing counting).
(6) See how many seat-pocket items--including debris shoved in there such as leftover plastic cups and peanut bags--your child can stack on top of the tray table without anything sliding off (good for fine motor skills).
(5) Play the "Why I'm not going to kick the seat in front of me" game, where your child tries to remember the ten reasons why kicking that seat is a no-no (good for memory skills).
(4) Take your child to the lavatory when the line is at its longest (good for learning to wait your turn). Wait till the food cart is blocking the aisle before trying to return to your seat. This yields extra time near the galley for leg stretching and toddling around.
(3) Guessing games, anyone? My six-year-old, who is obsessed with geography--and here's why-- made up the "State Guessing Game," which goes something like this:
Charlie: "Okay, I'm thinking of a state."
Me: "Is it farther east or west?"
Charlie: "West."
Me: "Is it farther north or south?"
Charlie: "South."
Me: "What letter does its capital begin with?"
Charlie: "C."
Me: "Nevada."
Charlie: "You got it!"
(2) For the younger ones, there's the "Thomas the Tank Engine Guessing Game," where your child tries to guess which of Thomas's anthropomorphic railyard friends you're thinking of.
Me: "Okay, I'm thinking of an engine."
Doug: "What color is it?"
Me: "Green"
Doug: "Steamie or diesel?"
Me: "Steamie."
Doug: "What sound does it start with?"
Me: "The letter P, which sounds like puh, as in 'plane,' or 'prison,' or--"
Doug: "Percy!"
Me: "You got it!"
Yep, the life of a travel writer is a glamorous thing.
(1) Play a version of "In My Grandmother's Trunk" called "In My Carry-on Bag," where you list and repeat, in alphabetical order, every toy, game, and book you wish you'd brought onboard.
Last but hardly least, be sure to buy a drink for the other passengers sitting within earshot.
Anybody else got ideas for keeping kids entertained onboard toylessly? Would LOVE to hear them!
RSS Feeds
Hi Wendy, Great list! You have so many creative ideas there...I'm making mental notes!
I have a favorite to add: play a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. My kids love playing best of 5. It lightens the mood for us, too, because we have an incredible numbers of ties (rock vs. rock, etc) and we laugh so hard! My four year old is still getting the hang of it, but for ages six and up, it's really fun. You can even award the extra bag of pretzels for a prize (although the winner ususally needs to share anyway to be a good sport!)
This article particularly made an impression on me, because just yesterday, I sat next to a VERY bored child on a plane. I shared a row with the family; mom, dad, and 8-year-old twins. The mom had ZERO tricks in her bag for the boy (the girl had a craft kit.) To the chagrin of the passenger in front of us, he spent at least five minutes goofing around with the tray table, letting it drop, and securing it again. The very moment his mom lamented "Son, I wish I had something for you to do!" I hauled out notepad and pen from my hotel. Thankfully, he loved to draw! I could tell they were a really sweet family, but bored kids have a hard time under regular circumstances. Throw in the restrictions of sitting in a plane seat, and you're looking at mutiny!
Posted by: paulala | April 20, 2008 at 02:39 PM
Don't forget the ever-popular "Find the Doggie" (or kitty, or R2D2, or Harry Potter) in the Skymall catalog....
Great story, btw. We always bring toys for our kids (ages 1 and 4), but sometimes we can't reach all of them, like when we're sitting in the bulkhead, and we've run through the 10 toys we pulled out just in the taxi for takeoff.
Posted by: mechteach | April 23, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Here is a link to flying with kids - some sarcasm, but some hints too.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/story/489230.html
I have recently become more closely acquainted with a 3 year old niece, and to occupy time, I now point to a picture and ask her to tell me a story about the person/animal/place she sees. It is amazing what comes out of of their minds at that age if they are encouraged and paid attention to. LoriB
Posted by: lorib | April 23, 2008 at 07:34 PM