How to survive a long journey and entertain children while traveling?

This is probably the first thing that comes to mind for every parent when imagining a several-hour journey in any mode of transport. The worries are even greater when traveling by car or plane, where the child must be strapped in, and keeping them calm for several hours is truly a challenge. The situations are even more demanding if you are traveling minimally – only with carry-on luggage and really have no space for bulky toys.

With a little creativity and planning, you can ensure that your children will have fun on the plane or in the car and you can travel without stress. In this article, we will share with you 12 fun and creative ways to entertain your children while traveling. Whether it's a short flight or a long journey, these tips will help keep your child happy and active throughout the trip. After all, a happy child means a happy parent, and that’s what we all want, right? So let’s dive in and explore some creative ways to entertain your children while traveling.

Focus mainly on new activities that are fresh for the children and will keep them entertained longer. Let’s look at some favorite activities that will entertain children on the plane or in the car.

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1. Books for younger children

Younger children will have the most fun with books that have flaps. It’s ideal when you combine the theme of travel, transportation, airports, beach or nature with the theme of a new book, thus transferring the book theme into vacation experiences.

2. Sticker books

By filling in stickers in the books, you will ensure long-lasting fun, which will also develop children's visual thinking and fine motor skills. Sticker books will entertain even the smallest children from the age of two while traveling.

3. Activity books full of tasks

Activity and game books can easily be placed in carry-on luggage or in a child’s backpack. They develop logical thinking in a playful way. The activity books contain various observation games, puzzles, mazes, counting activities, and many other tasks that develop children's first knowledge and skills in a playful manner.

4. Water painting

Endless coloring magical pictures with water, which you can color again after drying. Just pour water into the brush, and you can ensure that both your child and the car or plane seat will stay dry and clean.

5. Audio CDs with stories or songs

Many children's books are now narrated in a resonant voice into audio stories. We adults can also enjoy listening to Anne of Green Gables or Pippi Longstocking in the car with our children. Older children can download podcasts or their favorite songs in advance to a tablet, mobile phone, or other MP3 player.

6. Adhesive reusable stickers 

A book with reusable stickers can be used as an educational tool that is also full of fun activities, great for inventing stories and creating your own world full of wonders. You can also reuse the stickers not only in the book but also on the train, plane, or car window, adding variety to your travels with children.

7. Magnetic games

Magnetic games are the perfect children's toy for travel, offering hours of imaginative play with easy cleaning and storage of pieces that you won't lose.

8. Puzzles and tangrams

A wooden tangram with colorful geometric shapes is a logical game that develops both younger and older children. It’s a great creative toy that will keep your child entertained for hours while traveling, providing great fun in assembling endless patterns and also supporting playful learning of colors and geometric shapes.

9. Travel board games

Travel board games in a smaller form won’t take up much space in your luggage and can entertain both younger and older children. You can even find games for children from three years old.

10. Bead threading

Another activity that will entertain your child during the journey in the plane or car, and doesn’t take up much space in the luggage, is bead threading or threading other objects. It’s a great way to train children's concentration, fine motor skills, colors, counting, sorting, and shape recognition.

11. Travel scavenger hunt

Download for free and print our travel scavenger hunt for the kids. They will have fun searching for specific objects they can see while traveling.

12. Crunching

A favorite activity to calm and entertain children is also crunching on some favorite treats such as chips, berries, dried fruit, cookies, or muffins prepared at home in advance.

If you need to keep all activities organized in one place, a document organizer will come in handy. Before traveling by car, it’s practical to get a car seat organizer. Such an organizer will help keep your vehicle tidy and the children will have everything they need within reach.

Conclusion

Many parents find it hard to commit to a several-hour flight or car journey because they don’t know how to entertain their children while traveling, and vacation often means more stress than relaxation for them. Therefore, they often postpone it to later, depriving themselves and their children of new experiences, stimuli, and quality time spent together in a new place. The times of leisurely reading a book on the beach are certainly gone for a while. But seeing your children discover previously unknown climates, fauna, flora, tastes, smells, and children of other nationalities is worth those few hours on the plane. The key is to prepare for the journey, leave nothing to chance, and remember that if the parent is okay, the child is okay too.