Any parent that has packed their kid’s carry-on bag for a trip is always trying to think of the latest and greatest ways of how to keep kids entertained on the plane.
One of my first rules of traveling is keep things as simple as possible. I don’t like bringing a lot of excess with me on the plane. However, I do try and remain realistic that a child sitting anywhere for a long period of time (even the best of children) are to get bored. This blog post is all what to pack for the kid’s in a carry-on bag and how to keep kids entertained on the plane.
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Most of the things that I pack for an airplane are things that they don’t get to use anywhere else. It helps keep their attention a little longer, unless it is their tried and true, beloved without fail toys (those come too). Wrapping presents or toys for your kids is cute and clever, but I don’t have time for that. I think that keeping these things out of sight until you get on the plane (or while you are packing at least) helps build the excitement just fine.
You know your kids best, but here is a helpful guide of important things to remember in your child’s carry-on luggage to help keep them entertained for the flight, and while on vacation.
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IN FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT IDEAS
SMALL TOYS
The rule of thumb in our household is that you can bring any small toys that you want as long as they fit in your small zipper case that I provide. I grabbed this 5 pack of multi-colored ones from Amazon and let me kids each have one. It’s large enough that they can put a decent amount of small toys in the pouch, but small enough that I can fit all four in one of our JetKid luggages.
MATCHBOX CARS
The wonderful thing about Hot Wheel Cars is the sheer fact that they are cheap and portable. If you lose one, its fine. My son is a total car fanatic and could stay busy with Hot Wheel Cars for days. I limit the number of cars to his age. That is a good way for us to keep track of them on the trip. So for example, he is 6, so he gets to bring 6 cars with him.
SHOPKINS
I am still trying to see the obsession with these Shopkins, but I have embraced the fact that they are small and keep the kids entertained for hours. I like to pack all of these in a small travel cosmetic size bag. We take them with us on the plane, but they end up coming to the pool and restaurants with us as well.
RANDOM COLLECTION OF “DISPOSABLE” TOYS
You know all of those toys your children collect that you really don’t want to keep but you almost feel guilty throwing away. The toys that you collect from Chuck E Cheese, McDonalds, and even party favor prizes. I take all of those toys and put them in a box in my pantry (out of the kids sight). I will grab a few of those toys to bring along on a trip with us because #1 it’s new for the kids and #2 I don’t care if they lose them, break them, or accidentally misplace them on our trip. This is probably one of my favorite ways to keep kids entertained on a plane.
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ARTS AND CRAFTS FOR THE AIRPLANE
COLORING BOOKS, DOT TO DOTS, COLOR BY NUMBER
If your kid is into coloring, then I recommend bringing along a fun new coloring book, a color by number, or even a dot to dot book. They make so many different types of these books now, with varying degrees of difficulty, it’s easy to find one that is perfect for your child’s skill level. I put all of the coloring tools and books in one freezer size Ziploc baggie.
Here are my favorite coloring book picks for all ages! Including MOM & DAD!
TODDLER | PRESCHOOL | KINDERGARTEN | GRAMMAR SCHOOL | MIDDLE SCHOOL | HIGH SCHOOL | ADULT
CRAYOLA TWISTABLES
Instead of dealing with markers on an airplane (thanks, but no thanks), I love to pack each of my kids their own set of Crayola Twistable color pencils. They don’t break, they don’t dry out like markers, and they work so much nicer then regular color pencils.
PAINT BY STICKER BOOKS
Have you ever seen these Paint By Sticker books? My daughter received one for her birthday last year, and we all fell in love. Perfect activity to keep the kids occupied and entertained on the plane. They have to match the stickers to the correct number on the pages to create a picture. My younger daughter (born in 2014) is able to do these with help from me. The older two kids (2010 & 2012) are able to do these independently. It’s amazing how quiet it gets when they are working on these!
WATER WOW! BOOKS
These WATER WOW! books are super popular with my kids. They work with all ages, although I think most enjoyed by the little ones (toddler and preschool age). All you need is the book, and access to water to fill the magic paint brush. The best part about them is that you can reuse them over and over again. *mom tip* I don’t let my kids play with these at home. I only bring them for plane rides. It helps keep their interest if it is something that they don’t get to use everyday.
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GAMES KIDS CAN PLAY ON AN AIRPLANE
One of the best things about being on an airplane, is uninterrupted family time. I know that sounds kind of corny, but sitting on an airplane actually forces you to sit down and interact with your kids. So put down the phone and engage with them!
CARDS
I love using plane rides to teach the kids new card games. Even the younger ones can learn how to play “Go Fish” or “Old Maid”. Another favorite card deck of ours (that I use not just on planes but also at restaurants) is the Disney Eye Found It game. My daughter and I started playing it when she was 2 and a half.
Here are some direct links to our family favorite card games.
GO FISH | UNO | PHASE TEN | DISNEY EYE FOUND IT | OLD MAID | SPOT IT | SPOT IT JUNIOR
MINI TRAVEL GAMES
Taking classical games with you on a trip is a great way to bring a family together. These mini travel games are sure to be a favorite with everyone in the family. The best part is that they are great for down time in hotels, cabins, or RVs.
CONNECT 4 | MONOPOLY | CLUE | TROUBLE | BATTLESHIP
SUDUKO
Work together with your child to solve sudoko puzzles. My husband and I like to take turns solving the puzzles with our kids to see who can complete them the fastest.
CROSSWORD PUZZLES
Find age appropriate crossword puzzles for your school aged children, or even help your toddler solve crossword puzzle with your help. Crosswords are a sure fire way to keep the kids (and their minds) occupied for a bit on the airplane.
LITTLE (AGE 4-5) | MEDIUM KID (AGE 6-10) | BIG KID (AGE 11-18)
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USING TECHNOLOGY ENTERTAINMENT ON AN AIRPLANE
OLD PHONE/ iPad
If you know our family, you know that we don’t allow much screen time for our kids. As in – movies and TV are limited to Friday night family movie nights, and well, that’s it. But when we travel we lift screen limit restrictions and use them as a great tool for when we are on airplanes.
Make sure you upload age appropriate games, and apps before leaving for your trip. Also make sure to upload at least one, but probably 2-3 movies if memory allows. Also- I just found these amazing headphones called CozyPhones. They are perfect for the little ones that can never seem to keep headphones on! If you don’t have an iPad just laying around, an old phone would also work for the kids. Erase all the old stuff, and upload some engaging apps and movies.
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SNACKS AND WATER BOTTLE
Part of teaching my kids independence and responsibility while we travel, includes each child being responsible for their own snacks and water bottle. To be quite honest, I just have enough stuff to worry about.
When packing snacks for a flight I always pack two separate ziploc baggies for each kid. One is for the departure flight, and one is for the returning flight. These snacks are only for the flights! Not for our trip, not for the car ride after the airplane, not for a late night snack. It’s important to not only pack for the flight there, but also the flight home. Separating the snacks into two baggies is a visual for the kids that they need to save!
We each bring our own water bottles wherever we go. Our favorites are the HydroFlask brand. They keep our water chilled, the stainless steel bottle is durable and handles rough and tumble kids, and it doesn’t leak! They are expensive, but they will last FOREVER!
12oz Kids HydroFlask | 24oz HydroFlask
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When traveling with a young child, the most important thing to remember is to not stress. There may be stressful moments enroute to the airport, at the departure gate, or even on the airplane, but it is nothing that you can’t handle. I hope this list of how to keep kids entertained on a plane helps you create your own ways to enjoy your next onboard flight experience with your children. Do you have other favorite ways to keep your kids entertained on the plane? We would love to hear your ideas! Drop them in the comments below so that fellow mamas can get even more wonderful ideas!
Happy flying!
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