In an ideal world you would check in quickly, head straight through security, grab a quick drink and then head to the gate to board the flight and be on your way. In reality we all know this rarely happens - long queues at check in and security - getting there much earlier than you need "just in case" and then delayed flights all mean that airports can be a really boring place for children. Here are my top tips for keeping the little ones entertained along the way.
1. Find the play area - Some airports have them but some unfortunately don't (and if they do can be tucked out of the way and hard to find). Here is my list of current known play areas in UK airports.
2. Watch the planes - find a good spot by the window and watch the planes taxiing and taking off - my toddler loved watching the planes, the baggage handlers and basically any other vehicle that was working in the airport.
3. Play games - another obvious one - but little ones don't need much to keep them happy - you can get them to do things like do as many start jumps as they can or stand on one leg for as long as they can - an added bonus is these can tire them out before the flight.
4. Have a little run around - find a quiet(ish) corner of the airport and let them have a run around - it'll let off some steam and help tire them out ahead of the flight.
5. Potter around - there is a lot going on in an airport and a lot of the time just the comings and goings can keep the kids entertained - head to the moving walkways, the food court and if your kids are like mine - the escalators can create hours of fun going up and down!
6. Go on a scavenger hunt - get them to find things like a blue suitcase, someone wearing sunglasses, someone reading a book, an escalator - you get the gist.
7. Ride on toddler suitcase (we have a Trunki) - this kept O entertained for ages as he loved wheeling it around (and then being wheeled around while sat on it). I tend to keep the kids toys in their case and only use them once on the plane so these are "new" for the plane rather than being used in the airport when there is more to do.
8. Toys - to counter what I said above about toys - have a couple of extra ones spare to have for those times you are stuck in a queue and your entertainment options are limited - O is happy with a little toy digger and will play with this while standing in a queue for a little while.
9. Divide and conquer - if you are in a big queue for check in then only one parent needs to stand there (until you reach the front) so the second parent can go off and entertain the kids with the ideas above. Unfortunately this wouldn't work in the queue for the security when you are pretty much stuck in there.
10. Simon Says - a good one for when you are in a queue as this can be done anywhere - go for simple things like "Simon says touch your nose"
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