Care to share how you keep kids happy at airport and on plane?

[BWVDenise]

How do you keep your children occupied at the airport and on the plane? Last time we tried the Crayola Model Magic and it worked out pretty well. But this time we will be waiting around the airport for a much longer period of time and I'm wondering how we will keep our sanity!? Any good tips?

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

How old are your kids? My son is 7 and does school work for about half of the flight and plays game boy for the rest. When he was a little younger we did work books and I read to him. I also bring snacks because god forbid he go 20 minutes without eating something

 

[BWVDenise]

Mine are 7, 4, and 3 and have a very hard time sitting still for long. The 7 y.o. will have his g.b., and I picked up some little airplane, helicopter, tank things that I won't show him until he starts to get bored. I'm just worried about the other two...

 

[skeezixspud]

Our new laptop has a DVD player in it. We bring an extra battery and scope out the waiting areas that have power outlets nearby. A couple of weeks ago we were VERY popular with other parents while waiting for our flight to WDW! We showed Fantasia and part of Toy Story 2 in the terminal, then DS played games through most of the flight (w/ headphones, of course.)

Before we got this laptop, we used to do handheld games, flash cards, colored pencils, sticker books, stencils, books, and book/cassette tapes on a Walkman. DS still likes to use his Viewmaster on the plane, too.

 

[paras4ri]

DS is now 10 and DD is now 7 but we've been traveling with them since DD was only 2. We usually drive from RI to Florida (nonstop except for meals and bathroom breaks!) so I know what it's like to fill time! Gameboys are great and so are CD players with headphones. We go to the library before our trips for some new books.

I usually have a bag of snacks and a few surprises for each child so they have something new when we leave, and I don't hand them out until we're on our way. Books, coloring books, word puzzles, magazines....it all depends on the child and age level. When DD was young the books that made sounds were great for her and I still have one to remind me of her first DW visit.

How old are your kids...and when is your trip?

 

[dznynut]

We have used some of the things mentioned. We also have used travel games. Small versions of big games....Connect 4, Light Bright, Magna Doodle, etc. I also have a travel HangMan game that came in very handy when we had an unexpexted 3 hour delay on New Year's Eve 1999 (yes, everyone said it was Y2K related even though it wasn't) in the Orlando airport. Our son is now 12, so it's much easier to "entertain" him (as long as he has AA batteries for his GameBoy Advanced!!).

 

[holycow]

when we flew to Hawaii with our 21/2 yr. old, we rented the DVD player!
What a wonderful thing! more than paid for itself in the peace and quiet I got
for a few min....

To add to the above I also got the party bag size of playdo...and let her play with
one at a time...that kept her busy for a while....

HC

 

[DizMare]

When my kids were 4 and 5, my dh entertained them for a long time with an oragami kit! Entertained the nearby passengers, too.

For the last couple of years, my kids have just been engrossed in those Archie magazines that are available at checkouts in Walmart and supermarkets. (BTW, Archie, Jughead and the gang are still up to their old tricks.)

 

[bobcat]

Disney Trivia cards and snacks saved my kids from a melt down last Thanksgiving. We had a late flight out and ended up with a two hour delay. In the lounge we stretched out on the floor and played Disney Trivia. Nearby passengers were playing along with us.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

crayola has this nice little write on/wipe off board with markers and an eraser that comes in a zippered pouch. walmart and target both have them. there is also another one that comes with this book to draw on. we also have a few hand held electronic games.

 

[ducklite]

My son is now 15 1/2, and he prefers to get on board and just nap the entire trip. But when he was younger it was Game Boy, school work, new comic books, pen/pencil/markers and paper, playing cards, etch a sketch, a zip lock baggie of Green Army Men.

Anne

 

[Judy from Boise]

we always wear clothes that we don't mind sitting on the floor to play games etc. Being able to just get out of those chairs really helps ! When my DD was younger I would bring a lot of poly pockets for her to play with.