As I mentioned previously this summer we will be traveling a few times this July so I have been putting together a some items that we will be taking with us on the plane to keep busy. Since this is the first time I will be traveling with the kids by myself I want to be as prepared as possible to keep them entertained during the flight so that we can have a tantrum free plane ride.
I know that some of us moms may belive that screen time is not a good idea, although I do agree that too much screen time cannot be good for anyone. Toddlers will get bored quickly, fussy and want to exert some of their energy. On planes thats not always possible so as a parent I have found a few apps I like to use during long trips that don’t have them just staring at endless YouTube kids videos. They will hold the little ones attention during the flight while they are learning and enjoying themselves. Some of the apps that I like to have my toddler use promote reading, which is something I enjoyed to do as a kid just with a physical book. Utilizing a tablet during a flight allows me to take multiple activities with us in one place.
Apps:
Speakaboos is an interactive reading app for children ages 2-6. What I love most about it is that it contains tons of stories in one app. My son loves it because it reads and sings to him, it also allows him to read along to certain stories. It also provides me with a feedback on what his favorites stories, how long he spends on the app, and so much more. It’s perfect for the airplane because we can still have story time together and not have to carry the actual books onto the plane.
Duck Duck Moose apps I discovered later on once I had children, but I used Khan Academy videos while I was in college. Their mission to provide free, positive and innovative education to kids everywhere resonates deeply with me. I have several of their apps downloaded onto our iPad for my son to use but here are two of our favorites.
Build a Truck this is one of my sons favorites because he loves building trucks like his dads so he can race them. What I love about this app is that it’s allowing him to experiment while still have fun.
Word Wagon is a great for teaching letters, phonics, and spelling. Now that Rian is learning the sound of the letters, he’s been using this app a lot more to get a better understanding of the sound. This is another great app that we’ll be utilizing while on the plane to keep up entertained and educated.
Endless ABC’s this has been one of my favorite apps to use when teaching my kids their alphabet. It has helped my son so much with learning his letters and sounding them out. This is another great app that I like to use when flying again because it will keep my littles engaged while teaching.
Audible this is actually an app for us moms, I love to read by don’t really have much time for it so I use audible , with this app I can listen to books anywhere anytime. There are tons of books to choose from, and its linked to my amazon account. I plan on finishing a few books I have started while on the plane. I can rest my eyes if I get lucky and listen to a really good book, one of my favorite pastimes.
Free Play:
I also will be bringing along another one of our favorites, Melissa and Doug paint with water individual pages, for when it is time for the Ipad to rest. These indivudual paint pages are ideal for the plane because they have the paint swatches right top of each page, all you need is a little water. Then we can pull down the seat tray, layout our paint pages out and get to work creating. It’s what I enjoy most about Melissa and Doug products is hat they foster imaginative play. My son will sit by himself with his other Melissa and Doug toys, playing for hours. I know he’s learning while he plays and I use that time to get some work done. These paint pages also great for keeping littles busy in restaurants too, I keep some in our diaper bag.
Snacks oh Boy!
Another important activity is snacking. Both of my kids will eat whatever I am eating for the most part. But packing my carry on with some snacks is a must, because for some reason food soothes kids, plus it will help keep them quiet. One snack that I will be packing are the Gerber smart flow pouches, they have a cap that allows you to close and refrigerate as well as a have smart flow spout that does not allow my little to squeeze baby food all over her.
This little one has a ball squeezing the Gerber smart flow pouch on her own till she’s done and starts shaking it, then it can get messy.
Flying with two little ones can be dauting, going to the mall can feel like it’s too much work even, however I love have some tips and tricks to keep them busy. I use educational screen time, art, and food because its what my kids love. I want to know what activities other moms and dads utilize with your kids on trips? So leave me a comment below and follow us to see our adventures this summer!
Thanks for reading!
xo
Cindy
