How to entertain a child on a plane?

This is probably one of the most pressing questions for those traveling with small children. Here we provide a short list of things you can do to entertain your child during the journey, and you can choose what suits you best. The most popular entertainment is, of course, cartoons and children's movies. They can be watched on a laptop, phone, portable DVD player, or tablet. Instead of cartoons, you can download children's songs or fairy tales.

In second place in popularity are electronic games. These can also be played on a phone, laptop, or tablet. There is now a huge number of different electronic games even for the youngest children.

Don't forget about board games. The main thing is that they match the child's development level. If a game is too difficult or too easy, the child will quickly lose interest. Choose them yourself; what's written on the packaging doesn't always match your child's development level. Games for children aged 2 to 3 might already be uninteresting even for a one-year-old. If your child is 5 years old or older, pay attention to card games. There are a huge number of them on the market now; they are compact and will not only entertain your child during the journey but also help develop their memory, attentiveness, and reaction.

If your child loves to draw, bring pencils, markers, paper, a notebook, or a coloring book. Be careful with markers, as if the child is small, they will most likely draw not only on the paper but also on the neighboring seat, armrests, etc. Paper can be useful not only for drawing. You can fold a boat, a crane, a flower, etc., from it. Many instructions for folding origami can be found online. Sticker books. You can not only read them with your child but also play, completing various tasks. This develops speech, imagination, fine motor skills, and imaginative thinking. You can also take simple picture books and fairy tales.

Many parents bring dolls and soft toys. With them, you can stage scenes, play role-playing games, feed, put to sleep, and tell fairy tales. Children play with great pleasure with new toys or long-forgotten old ones. So you have two options: buy a new one, or hide an old toy a few weeks before the trip and give it to the child only on the plane. If your seat is not in the first row where there is no table, you can bring a puzzle. This will distract the child for a long time. In addition, there are a huge number of games without "inventory". Pat-a-cake, word games, 'danetki' (yes/no games), riddles. Variations and rules of various games can be easily found online. In children's stores, you can find entire travel game sets. Always remember that in the cabin, besides you, there are more than a hundred other people flying, some of whom are sleeping or simply want to rest in silence. Don't disturb them. Bring headphones and watch cartoons, movies, or listen to fairy tales only with them. Do not bring musical books or toys. Try to choose night flights so that the child sleeps for most of the flight. This will be easier for both you and the child.