What can i do to keep my children entertained on the plane?

Question

i need to take my 12 year old and 5 year old on the plane for a very long trip any ideas on how to keep them calm and entertained..?

Answer 1

U can buy them PSP (play station), coloring books, comics, and a bag full of food and sweets

Answer 2

-crayons/colouring books

-cards

-books

-tv on the airplane

-puzzles

-bring their favourite toy

-console game for the 12 year old

-sometimes the airplane offers games

Answer 3

My auntys three boys (ages 18, 16 and 12) are seasoned travelers. When they were small, she would pack travel size snacks and some special toys to be unwrapped on the plane. Usually it was a "busy" toy such as a puzzle, legos or coloring books/crayons. Don't forget a favorite blanket or stuffed animal - calms them down! Now older, they pack their own backpacks full of music, gameboys, cards and books.

Answer 4

Video games!

Answer 5

They should be given a fun bag with things to do in it, I always took along colouring books and crayons, plus they have a television screen and the kids can play games on them.

Answer 6

Your 12 year old should be able to pack his/her own carry on with items that can keep him/her entertained.  Things like a portible game system (PSP or DS) with fully charged batteries, books, puzzle games (word finds, crosswords, sodoku), a deck of cards, and other quiet activites are good.

Your 5 year old can stay busy with coloring/activity books, matchbook cars, portible gaming system, story books, card games (go fish, old maid, matching games), or travel versions of board games.  If your child still uses a comfort item such as a stuffed toy or blanket its a good idea to bring that as well.

For both children a laptop or portible DVD player with movies is a good idea as not all airplanes have personal TVs or movies that are sutible for young children.  If you choose to bring your own movies for your children to watch don't forget to pack the headphones.  They should use headphones for their video games as well or turn the volume down as your fellow passengers will not want to hear their games throughout the flight.

Children often get cranky when hungry so snacks are always good to pack.  Foods that travel well and can be taken on the plane in your carry on luggage include: apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, carrot/celery sticks, granola bars, crackers, cheese (string cheese and cheese squares work best), Pringles chips, hard candies, M&Ms, single serving prepackaged cookies, sandwitches (pack in disposable plastic containers so they don't get squished), and foods that don't require heating/refrideration and that pack well.

Foods to avoid: anything that is liquid or gel in consistancy such as yogurt, jello, pudding, soup, etc or that needs to be heated before eating or kept cold until eating. Out of courtesy for your fellow passengers you should avoid any foods that have a strong odor.

Foods that are purchased AFTER the security check point are ok to take on the plane with you regardless of them being a liquid or not.

For more info go to http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtrav...

Some people recommend keeping your child awake so they will sleep on the plane.  While this may sound good in theory, it's not such a great idea in pratice.  Your child will most likely end up cranky and having a huge melt down as you move through security or wait to board the plane.

If your children are prone to allergies, or head congetion consider giving them a decongestant 30 to 60 minutes prior to flight to reduce the amount of sinus pressure they expierence.  Some decongestants such as Benedryl have the added effect of making your child drowsey.

Prior to boarding have your children use the bathroom.  You never know how long you'll have to keep your seatbelt on after you have taken off.  I was on a flight from Maui to Phoenix and we encountered turblence for the whole flight.  We only had 30 minutes after takeoff that we were allowed to remove our seatbelts, the remainder of the flight the seatbelt sign was lit.