Traveling with kids can be difficult if you’re unprepared when it comes to your child’s entertainment. Whether you travel with a toddler, a preschooler, or a grade-schooler, being prepared and having some kind of an entertaining activity is a must, especially if your kid gets bored easily and/or is very active and energetic.
If you are planning a trip with your kid(s) and think that they won’t be able to sit still, whether in a car, a train, a bus, or a plane – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ll be providing you with some short, simple, and effective activities that will keep your child entertained for any trip you take, no matter what the setting is. Get ready to say goodbye to all the boredom and tantrums with these fun activities!
Short & Simple Activities You Can Do With Your Child While Traveling
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Traveling by Train / Plane / Bus
When traveling in a shared space, whether it’s a train, a bus, or a plane, being considerate to the other passengers is the first rule when using public transportation. This means that activities that require talking and being loud are discouraged, so here are a few ideas that you can do with your child while traveling in a shared space.
Electronic Entertainment
Nowadays, one of the easiest ways you can entertain your child is by providing them some digital fun. Any electronic device with a screen will do, just make sure that you also have some headphones so you don’t disturb the other passengers.
Prepare yourself beforehand with apps, games, cartoons, educational content, or anything else that keeps your child’s interest and make sure that the device is fully charged.
Printable Games / Activity Books
Printables and activity books
are not only easy to pack and carry, but they can also keep your child occupied and entertained for hours. This can be both a solitary activity that your child can do by themselves and a collaborative one where you can play the games together. You can either download and print or buy coloring pages/books, printable games like mazes, connect-the-dots
, spot the difference, puzzles, quizzes, and more. You can also create the activity/coloring book yourself and include everything that you know your child will like. Just don’t forget to take some coloring pencils or crayons and you’re set!
Traveling by Car
As opposed to using public transportation, traveling by car offers our much needed privacy. Therefore, apart from the previously-mentioned ideas, you can also do some activities that include talking and being loud.
Games that Only Require Talking
Games that require just talking and nothing else are perfect to be played while in a car, since all of the passengers can join in.
For example, you can play the classic “I spy”. One person chooses an object they see, either in the car or outside, and say something like “I spy with my own two eyes something …” and adds an adjective that describes the object in question. The rest of the people in the car have to guess the chosen object, and whoever guesses it correctly becomes the next spy.
There are plenty of other games that you can play with your child while traveling by car, so based on your child’s age, choose the one that seems the most fun!
Window Markers and Stickers
Coloring your own window stickers
and window markers
can be a great fun for both you and your child.
First of all, your child will be really happy to paint on the glass windows of your car, since it’s something that wouldn’t usually be allowed without special window markers.
Second of all, coloring your own window stickers can be a great activity for you to do together. You can even make a game out of it, like pretending that you are driving through some magical land and having to paint the creatures you see there.
Lastly, even if you don’t join in on the activity yourself, the window markers and stickers will keep your child busy and entertained for you to focus on some other activity.
Music / Audio Books
The best thing about traveling in a car is that you can practically do whatever you want while being as loud as you want. So, in order to keep your child (as well as the rest of the passengers) entertained, you can play their favorite music, or even better, play an audiobook
with either their favorite stories.
Visiting a Quiet Place
While on a road trip, you might go somewhere where silence is appreciated, like a museum for example. Places where silence is requested are not exactly the most fun places for kids, so you’ll need to keep them entertained if you don’t want to face all the potential whining and tantrums. Fortunately, there are ways to go about this.
The first thing we’d recommend would be to entertain them by using headphones and some electronic device like your phone or an iPad. Play them their favorite music or some audio book that’ll keep their interest while walking around the museum. Make sure that there’s no video included, since you won’t want your child to be fixated on a screen for the entire trip.Another interesting and fun idea that’ll only work only in quiet places is to imitate and mimic the things you see. For example, if you and your child visit an art museum, you can play a game where they imitate the sculpture’s poses while you take photos. Or if you both visit a natural history museum, they can imitate the animals or mimic the facial expressions of the prehistoric people.
Final Words
Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be a hassle. On the contrary, you can be creative and have plenty of fun with your child no matter where you are or what kind of transportation you’re taking. Young children want to be active and entertained at all times, especially when they have to sit in one place for a long period of time. Consider some of our activities for your next trip so that both you and your child will never be bored while travelling again!
Author Bio: Jen Loong is the founder of WanderSnap – a service platform connecting families, businesses, and travelers with local creatives to capture everyday photos, videos, and moments across over 45 different cities. Their mission is to help make creative jobs accessible to people all over the world.
