You may have noticed that I didn’t post last week- that’s because I was busy Traveling with a Toddler! I’ve now flown only four flights with my 19-month old daughter, L. I am by no means an expert on the topic of traveling with a toddler (thanks Covid!), but I do feel like I could write a book about our minimal experiences. However, I’ll save that for another day. Instead, I'll share some activity ideas that helped keep my little energizer bunny busy during our 3-4 hour flights!
1. SNACKS
Snacks...snacks...and more snacks. Toddlers LOVE snacks! A good friend of mine sent me this pillbox idea right before our first trip. It is GENIUS! I immediately ordered this twice-a-day weekly pill organizer. I decided to decorate it (because I was clearly procrastinating other chores while L napped one day) using stickers. I then painted a coat of Modge Podge gloss to seal the stickers onto the container. I figured as L gets older, we could also use this as a game to review color and shapes (i.e. find the snack under a red circle). I filled it with some of L’s favorites (like carrots, blueberries, Annie’s cheddar bunnies, mini tomatoes, a cut-up Lara bar, freeze-dried strawberries, puffs, Annie’s bunny grahams, raisins, fruit and veggie melties, baby Goldfish and halved cashews). I also included a special treat that she rarely gets (mini M&Ms). She picked one compartment to open every 10-15ish minutes. This “activity” also helped reinforce fine motor skills.
2. Play-Doh
An oldie but a goodie. I bought a couple of new containers of Play-Doh for the trip that we tossed out at the end of each flight (because of germs). They’re so inexpensive ($0.50 each at Walmart), so I didn’t feel bad doing this. Play-Doh is impossible to clean so having a new container for each leg of the trip was well worth it! L also loved picking out her new color each flight. I bought these tools, which were a big hit. L loved flattening out her Play-Doh like a pancake, and also turning her Play-Doh into “spaghetti.”
3. Coin Purse
I found the pink zipper keychain pouch in the back-to-school section at Walmart. It was made to hold headphones, but I decided to repurpose it since it was less than a dollar. I knew L would love opening and closing the zipper (great fine motor practice). I put her wooden coins from one of her Lovevery kits inside the purse. We practiced recognizing the symbols etched on the coins as numbers.
4. Stickers
We used LOTS of stickers while on the flights. Elmo stickers, cat stickers, dog stickers, vehicle stickers, you name it! Below, you’ll see a fun, spur-of-the-moment activity we did to review color recognition. I used a crayon and drew four circles (blue, yellow, red, and green) on a piece of paper. I then handed L a blue-colored dot sticker and asked her to place it in the blue circle on the paper. I then randomly handed her dot stickers and she sorted them into the appropriate groups. This is both, a fun and educational activity. Stickers help little learners practice fine motor skills, bilateral hand coordination, visual scanning, and spatial awareness.
5. Spinners
These things are so simple, yet so entertaining. The pack comes with three. We stuck them to several different surfaces on the plane (disinfecting constantly). We took turns spinning each one over and over again. They were also great for when we arrived at our destination (think- restaurants, glass sliding doors, bathtubs, mirrors.).
6. Window Clings
These were probably the biggest hit (other than the SNACKS of course!). I picked up some gel window clings at the Dollar Tree. They usually have them out with their seasonal merchandise. Like the Play-Doh, we tossed these at the completion of the flight. L loved sticking them to the windows, the seat-back tray, and even Mama and Dada. These offered a great opportunity for L to experience a new texture (sensory development).
7. Walks
Anytime the captain turned off the seatbelt sign, we offered her an opportunity to walk around the plane to stretch her legs and shake out her sillies. She made lots of friends on these walks. She loved high-fiving and fist-bumping all the strangers on board. (Lots of hand sanitizer was used, don’t worry!)
8. Books
I took some of her favorite books and turned them into homemade lift-the-flap books simply by adding in some sticky notes. This helped keep her curious and engaged. Similarly, I found this book that’s basically a lift-the-felt book (another that is great for sensory development!). These Poke-a-Dot books grabbed her attention, too. They’re oddly satisfying. This was another hit.
9. Markers
Now don’t think I went wild and gave my one-year-old regular old markers on an airplane! I knew markers would be new and exciting for her (and therefore, maybe help hold her attention for more than 7 seconds). I came across this Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Coloring Kit. As a former teacher, who has spent plenty of time cleaning up messes made from markers, I was beyond excited to find this kit for my little learner! The markers only write on the special paper in the kit! Literal, magic! Even better, you can purchase additional paper separately, too! (L also loved taking the markers out of the zipper pouch, and putting them back in, over and over again. Win, win!)
10. Small Toys
Last but not least, I had some small, new, and exciting toys tucked away to pull out when all else failed. I picked up a toy giraffe and bus at Target (L is obsessed with all animals and buses). I knew she’d love the mini Elmo because her swim instructor uses a similar one for demos. The ice cream pop-it was a gift from her Grandma, which came in clutch on our flight home. Think about what your little learner is interested in and try to find a few trinkets that will capture his or her attention (even if it’s only a few minutes at a time, every second counts when you’re in the air!).
These are some of the ways we kept L entertained on our flights. I hope you find the ideas useful! What are some fun activities that your little ones enjoy while traveling? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to follow along to find (and share!) inspiration, information, and innovation! :-) Have a great weekend everyone!