‘Are we there yet?’... ‘I need the toilet' ... ‘I’m bored’...
We’ve all been there! Here are our top tips to succeed in drama-free travel!
Forward planning is always the best plan! Whether this means pre-planning activities, meals, stops, etc for each journey ahead of time, or simply having a travel bag/box that you can quickly grab and throw in the car/plane for those last-minute plans, it always pays to forward plan.
Snacks (and water). Always plan for the unexpected. Children are always hungry. Journeys take longer than expected. Sometimes you can’t find anywhere to buy food due to time/location. Take small containers filled with non-messy foods like dried fruit, seeds and nuts that will keep tummy’s full. Pack a picnic lunch, and stop somewhere for a run around to stretch everyone’s legs.
Comfort. However many times you’ve asked, ask again – ‘Do you need the toilet?’. Or for younger children, don’t ask, just take them! Ensure children are in comfy clothes to travel in, nothing too tight. Allow them to each take a favourite (small) soft toy to cuddle/play with, a favourite blanket can be very comforting too.
Travel games. Stick to the old classic ‘eye spy’ to engage children easily. Adapt for younger children by spying colours. Other games could be the ‘rainbow game’, where you look for items of different colours, in rainbow order, can be any item, or could just be cars/flowers depending on interests. Another good game to play is to come up with a list of five things for the children to find, like ‘a kangaroo, a child riding on a bike, something orange, somebody looking grumpy, something tall’.
Quiet-time activities. Sometimes the children are just tired, and want some time to themselves, (which may be difficult when there are other siblings about!), so engaging activities that the children can do by themselves are the answer here. Pick age-appropriate activities that the child can achieve by themselves, so everyone gets the most from this quiet time.
These are our quiet-time suggestions by age:
Babies - Sensory Set – Koala Buddies. A cute two piece set with a wrist rattle and soft toy to keep your little one entertained.
1+ Magic Painting World – Lots of options to choose from. Simply fill the ‘pen’ up with water and ‘colour’ in the pictures! Great for portable play.
2+ Organic Cotton Pocket Friend – Bee or Ladybird. These cute little toys are the perfect size for travel adventures. Teamed up with their favourite cosy blanket, they may just drop off for a little nap 😊
3+ Oodle Doodle Crayon Set – Crayons, colouring in book and stickers all in their own storage compartments to make this set a perfect no mess and no fuss portable play set.
4+ ‘Gabby the Sheep’ Lacing Toy. The perfect little travel toy to keep little hands and minds engaged.
5+ Colouring Sets. See our selection of jam-packed colouring sets, including Monsters, Neon, Unicorn and Glitter options. All with colouring in pages, stickers and markers and all specially packaged with storage compartments to allow for effortless colouring on the go.
6+ Wooden animals. A few simple wooden toys and a playcloth draped over their knee, and some wonderful imaginative adventures can begin
7+ Magna Carry. At the Park or Dino World. A folding playboard with themed magnetic pieces. We love these for long journeys, so many adventures and stories can be played out with these.
8+ Lottie or Finn doll. The perfect little companion for journeys and adventures. All come with various accessories to inspire play.
9+ How to Draw – Fairy Tales, Animals, and Summer Fun. These portable sets are highly engaging with step-by-step diagrams to work through. Includes drawing instructions, sketch pad, pencil, coloured pencils, sharpener and eraser.
10+ Djeco Magnetic Geoform Boxed Set. We love the possibilities of this set, and its sturdiness for travel. Coming with a set of suggestions cards of shapes to make, there are endless others to be created.
11+ Dream Team Sports Activity Set. This compact travel friendly set encourages reading, writing, drawing and design skills through fun sports focused activities. Includes 36 page activity book, 25 blank player trading cards, 6 double-ended colour pencils (12 colours) and one duo pen. Highly engaging for adults too!
12+ Mindful Doodling Peaceful Patterns. A lovely travel friendly set of mindful drawings to colour, and examples of patterns to draw to add further interest. Highly engaging for adults too!
Remember, as with all things child related –
just sit back and enjoy the journey!
Photo by Seven Roadtrips on Unsplash