A Traveling Mom’s Tip: Keeping kids entertained on the journey

by Anne Larison

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We have been traveling as a family for over 8 years. We spend time prior to each trip preparing not just for the destination, but also for the journey. That’s me at the left with Andrew and Josh in their younger days (age 6) all prepared for a new trip.

Here are a few ideas about keeping your child entertained on the journey. At least two weeks before we leave, the twins and I start preparing. First we make sure that the traveling backpack is in good shape. If it has been a while since your last trip, make sure that your child won’t object to the pack you plan to use for the trip. For several years the cute, bright little boy backpacks were great. At a certain age, the boys grew out of that pack and informed me they were too ‘old’ to use the ‘baby’ back pack.

I let the boys decide what they will bring on the trip… with supervision. I had to intervene the year one of the boys wanted to bring the 3rd volume of the Harry Potter series (hard back) to read on the plane. This book, at over 450 pages, weighs more than most small appliances!

Some of the other time fillers and entertainment options we have brought along include:

Small magnetic checkers game
Word-seek puzzle and Fill-It-In books
Action figures (with no small parts that can be easily lost)
Paper and pencils (great for tic-tac-toe, hang-man and other paper games)
Deck of playing cards

I learned recently one item that you cannot bring through security at the airport. The TSA does not allow Play-doe! Let us know what other fun items you bring to keep the kids entertained.