TRAVEL PLAY

Screen-free activities for a long flight

Low-mess, quiet ideas that fit inside one document wallet and still work when the tray table is tiny.

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Do not reveal the whole bag at take-off

The simplest trick is timing. Pack a few small activities, but introduce them one at a time. If the entire flight bag appears before the seat-belt light goes off, its novelty can disappear before the drinks trolley arrives.

Start with paper and pencils, save the unfamiliar activity for the middle of the flight and keep one shared game for the point when everyone needs a change.

The three-part flight kit

One drawing activity, one tactile activity and one game are usually enough. Everything should be quiet, usable on a small tray and easy to gather when somebody needs to leave the row.

Games requiring almost nothing

• Design a new airline logo and uniform
• Create a menu for an imaginary flying restaurant
• Airport alphabet: spot one thing for every letter
• Draw the landscape below from memory
• Write three questions about the destination

Let the destination do some of the work

Activities become more absorbing when they connect with where the child is going. A local animal to recognise, a landmark to find or a phrase to decode gives the journey a purpose. That is the idea behind every Wanderlings destination pack.