How to Entertain your Kids at the Airport

Do you have a family adventure planned for 2019? A recent survey, from AA insurance, found that “19% of passengers experience a 2 hour or more delay.” This could be you on your next family holiday. But with these airport activities you can keep your family entertained and happy while you wait. We have included fun activities for kids of all ages. So, whether you have toddlers or teenagers, there is something here for you.

Toddler Airport Activities (1-3 years)

• Read a story. Pack your toddlers favourite storybook in case of delays.
• Ask the airline for an airplane activity pack. There are still some companies that provide these for younger travellers. It can never hurt to ask for something that is fun and free.
• Pack basic face paints in your carry on bag. Take your toddler to the bathroom and sit them in front of the mirror and paint a fun image onto their face. Ideas can be found on Pinterest. Butterfly’s and super heroes are always popular choices.
• Teach some new songs with actions to learn. For example, ‘Baby Shark’, ‘Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ and ‘One Finger, One Thumb.’
• Watch an age appropriate film or tv show, like Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh and Pocoyo. This activity can become educational when the audio is not in your mother tongue. Consider setting the audio to Spanish. After Mandarin and English this is the most spoken language n the planet.

Pre-Schooler Airport Activities (3-5 years)

• Find a spot in the airport to watch and admire the planes landing and/or taking off. Some kids will love this activity and can spend 30 – 60 minutes counting planes.
• Stay relaxed during your delay with a fun game of ‘eye spy with my little eye.’ This great game can be played together, from the comfort of a seat. You can even play it in different parts of the airport, so you can spot more with your little eye!
• Children can entertain themselves with a kids puzzle book. Mazes, dot to dots and coloring books are great. Remember to pack a pencil and crayons.
• If your kids have a favourite game and it’s not too big, why not pack it? If they don’t, then you can probably find a travel game like Snacks and Ladders, Frustration, Connect 4 or Bop It in an airport store, if it’s a large airport.

Grade-Schooler Airport Activities (5-12 years)

• Plan ahead and print out an airport scavenger hunt. Things to include are planes, specific coloured suitcases, chocolate bars, a pilot etc.
• Pack a great storybook! Have your children started reading Harry Potter or one of the epic stories written by Roald Dahl? Some of the most popular books for this age group include The Twits, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
• In your carry-on luggage, be sure to include a pack of cards. There are so many games that can be played with cards and hours and hours of fun to be had, while you wait. Some of the best games are Clock Patience, Sevens, Mystery Whist and Cribbage. Trumps cards are also popular!
• Table games ideal for this age group include Guess Who, Rummikub, Monopoly Junior and Cluedo Junior.

Teenager Airport Activities (13-18 years)

• Expanding on the card games suggested previously, UNO and Monopoly Deal are two other amazingly fun games and will keep the older kids entertained.
• Travel size board games, often require two or more people, so if you have a medium to large size family you can play Chess, Draughts and Ludo.
• If your teenager has a phone or tablet, they can download the language app Duolingo and brush up on their language skills for your holiday destination.
• Puzzle books can also entertain the older kids. Sudoku, word searches and crosswords can keep their brains active, whilst you wait for your flight to depart.

Do you have other airport activities and games that you use to keep your kids happy at the airport? Share them with the PreParture community and #preparturethursday on FB, IG and Twitter. If you love this article, don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with your friends.