Entertainments for children during a flight
Entertainments for children during a flight
“Once I had a long flight with my children, a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son,” Marina, a journalist and university teacher, said several years ago in our friendly company. “I decided to book a ticket for an overnight flight, hoping that the children would sleep the entire flight and not cause anyone any trouble. How wrong I was! All the hours we spent on the plane, my children confidently held first place in terms of noise and neither I nor, unfortunately, those around me had a moment of peace...”
Long journeys by train and plane have long become an integral part of our lives. And if we ourselves sometimes find it difficult to endure a long journey, especially on an airplane, then imagine what it is like for an active young creature to sit in place for several hours in a row!
However, there are some ideas and tips that can be used to make your journey less tiring for both you and your kids, and therefore for those around you.
The expectation that your children will sleep peacefully on night flights, as a rule, is not justified: an unfamiliar environment worries and excites the child, especially since he sees that his mother or grandmother does not even think about going to bed. You should also take into account the discomfort during takeoff, landing and the flight itself. Therefore, in advance, even before arriving at the airport, tell your children what an exciting journey awaits them, and your tone should be calm, because if you are even a little nervous, this state will be passed on to the child.
Depending on how many hours the flight will last, you should calculate how many different games and other activities you can offer your child. Some mothers may object saying that it is enough to turn on cartoons on your smartphone, and the child, being distracted, will not cause any trouble. However, gadgets are already so familiar that they may not work in this situation - the child may simply refuse to look at the screen, as has happened many times in such circumstances. Instead of the usual cartoons, you may suggest that your child listens to an audio fairy tale: this not only occupies the child’s attention but also develops his imagination.
You can start by introducing your child to the new space. When the plane gains altitude and is allowed to get out of the seat, slowly walk around the cabin with your child, show him everything and try to interest him in a description of what this or that item is used for, tell him what pilots do, what flight attendants do, etc.
You can distract your child with food for a while, since you are allowed to take baby food into the cabin: yogurt, formula, fruit.
Children love to sit at the window: watching objects on the ground and clouds in the sky also keeps them busy for some time. But in this case, you will have to disturb the neighbours sitting near the aisle, if you need to use the toilet or walk along the aisle.
You should take children’s picture books with you, especially those that contain interesting tasks, for example, maze books.
In addition, you can take with you colouring books along with pencils.
If possible, you can take your child’s favorite toy as well. Tell your son or daughter that the bunny or bear loves to travel and really enjoys flying, and he knows that he should not make a noise and not disturb other people who may be resting during the flight; speak convincingly and the child will follow the example of a well-mannered toy.
Your child can be occupied with various puzzles and board games. You should consider the size and the form of the game so that it can be taken in your hand luggage. For boys, you can take sets of soldiers or small cars and for girls, toy houses with small animal occupants.
During the flight, you can learn small poems, count rhymes and say tongue twisters with your children. Ask them questions about what they remember from the fairy tales and poems they read.
These are just a few of the possible quiet activities for your child to do during the flight. You can probably come up with many more options that will make air travel easy and fun for both you and your child.
