Travelling with children requires plenty of planning and lots of patience, and with that planning comes ideas to keep them entertained and busy on a long trip.

Whether you’re travelling in a car or on a plane, having things to keep children busy will make the journey enjoyable and stop everyone in the vicinity going a little stir crazy.

Buy them a new toy

This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, but a new toy is bound to keep children happy for a while. Capture their attention with a new toy and all of the joy it brings with it.

Pack the tablet

It might not be something you want to use for the entire journey, but there’s no denying how much an iPad or any type of tablet will keep children happy and occupied. Download a film or some TV programmes on Netflix, or have a look on BBC iPlayer to see what can be downloaded onto the tablet as you won’t need Wi-Fi to watch them.

Bring activity games

Activity packs, colouring books or sheets with some pencils is a sure-fire way of keeping children entertained for a while. Plus, it’s a way of stimulating their mind too. A lot of the restaurants and cafés at service stations and airports have amazing options available that can be kept on hand to keep a child entertained on a long car or plane journey.

Read a book

Depending on the age of the child, they can either read it themselves or you read it to them. If you’re on a plane and don’t want to distract too many of the other passengers it could be an option to download an audiobook and give your child some headphones to listen to it.

Have a conversation

It might sound obvious, but sitting down and having a conversation with your child may not always be an option with busy schedules. This is the perfect opportunity to stop and really catch up with them, whilst there are minimal distractions.

Teach them about the destination

If you’re heading to somewhere they’ve never been before, it could be a great opportunity to teach them a little bit about the area. Try giving them some facts about the history of the destination and talk about the places you could potentially visit.  You could even do a quiz, to get them excited about where they’re going.

Eye Spy

Eye Spy is a classic game that’s bound to provide some entertainment for a while, it also gets children interested in the scenery and the route. There are also plenty of other car games you could try such as a registration plate spotting game or a memory game, where you take it in turns to add more to a story.

Take a map

Either download a map on your phone or print one out. It can be a great way of showing children the journey you’re taking to get to the destination. Plus, they can tick off places they go past as you’re on your way.

Bingo

If you’re travelling by car, you could create a bingo board for each child with animals or objects that you’re likely to see on your journey, and the first one who gets a line or a full house wins a prize – it could be something like they get to choose the next song that’s played or pick what you’ll eat for dinner that evening.

Card games

There are a variety of different card games on the market for children.  A classic deck of cards, memory games or snap can provide hours of entertainment for the whole family.

Snacks and food a plenty

A hungry child is not something you want to contend with in a small space, so make sure that whether you’re travelling in a car or on a plane, you have plenty of snacks, food and drink. Instead of relying on services or the food that’s available you know you’ll have something that they like and you can whip it out at a moment’s notice when it’s needed.

Buy a camera

Buying your child a camera to use whilst on holiday or giving them one you already have is a great way of keeping them happy as they try their best to get the perfect shot.  They’ll enjoy documenting their trip and you’ll be able to look back over the photos together for years to come.