Helpful Toddler Travel Tips

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Kids Residence´s happy little Top Tips and Tricks Parenting Blog Guide. A blog designed to give you and your family helpful, happy information. Parents often come to us with questions concerning their growing little ones needs so we´ve created this blog for suggestions and advice! 

This issue, we´re focusing on Air Travel and the toys that are wins.

Helpful Toddler Travel Tips: Toys
You´re travelling up through the ether wondering if you´ve brought enough ´stuff´ along to occupy your little one´s attention. Never fear dear parents, here are some simple toddler travel toy tips that will hopefully keep your little one more happily occupied rather than the whole family feeling overwhelmed by lengthy air travel, nor bogged down with too many objects in tow. While it may be tempting to plonk a tablet in front of your toddler, don´t. Please do try these first! The crucial key is, keep it simple and remember, less is so much more when it comes to toting tots with toys.

Dearest Teddy
A singular cherished teddy or any beloved stuffed animal is a huggable anchor and travel staple. After all, Teddy is so much more than just a teddy. He´s a trusted travel companion! Your child´s teddy can help create a sense of comfort and exploration throughout your child´s travelling adventure. Engage your child´s imagination and senses by asking what Teddy sees, hears, and even smells in and out of the airport or plane. Model this in a sentence, eg: “I hear a loud rumble, does Teddy hear that… or you?” Teddy can also help your child indirectly express their emotions: Is Teddy feeling scared? Let´s give him a hug and tell him everything will be okay.

Attaching a wrist strap to the teddy with a removable clip will help you and your child make certain that your child´s favourite travel companion doesn´t get lost somewhere between security and epic airport wanders along your journey. Of course, asking your tiny one to keep an eye on Teddy ever so often helps you out as well. Remember, our little ones notice the smallest of details, plus it makes them feel special to have a job and who better to assist their teddy toy.

What else can Teddy do? He can dance and go on much needed walks along aisles to make certain your little one gets plenty of movement, when it is safe to do so of course. Depending on your airline and how helpful they are, perhaps Teddy could have a wander to roomier areas, as where they make tea. Take pictures if it so suits. After your lovely holiday you could print and annotate the pictures with your child and before you know it, you´ve made a teddy air travel adventure book!

Magic Colouring
These colouring kits by Dejeco and ones like it, are great! Simply fill up the supplied “marker” with water and voila! You´ve got instant colouring, without a surplus of mess! The special paper means you can reuse the templates again and again.  It usually comes in a transparent folder which you can also tuck in a slim picture book or two. Most airlines will offer your child a colouring kit, if age appropriate. However, such can easily get lost between the seats or roll down the aisles never to be seen again…a magic water marker is chunkier and is best for children´s grips.

Books  
One or two favourite children´s picture books will do. While we grownups may tire of rereading the same book or newsclip over again, children absolutely adore it and need it. Repetition gives them a sense of familiarity, boosts confidence, and gives them comfort knowing that they can anticipate what comes next. Of course, emerging literacy skills and pattern finding are all benefits of reading. Engage with your little travelling toddler, read with them with enthusiasm. Remember Teddy? Ask your child to read their trusted travel companion a story after they´ve had a go at looking at the book independently.

Memory Games
Classic memory board games are fantastic enablers for our little ones to learn to decode visual information. Not only that, but simple picture-based memory games can help your child develop their short-term memory, which may then further develop and link to long-term memory development as well! Win, win! Prolonged attention, focus, and even turn taking practice are all beneficial to this fun game. But for travel? With all those little cards flying here there and every where? No worries! They can be found in travel versions fitted with little doors that open. Just slot in a different card and there you have it. Now where´s that Teddy? Can your little one show Teddy how to play?  

When you have a bit more time, before or after your travels, show how this wonderfully styled game works with your kids. When first teaching your little one how to play a memory card game, keep it simple. Place three pairs of matching cards in a grid, face up. Ask, which two are the same? Show them. Collect them and put it aside.  Using my turn, your turn, techniques show your child how you can turn take to find two of the same. Then as your child begins to understand this, start to turn the cards over and ask them to try and remember. Keep adding on some rolls of matching cards and before you know it, you´ve got a little picture detective finding pairs of all sorts! Use repetitive language like, ´same, ´ and ´different.´ Once your little one has those terms down pat, then see if they can catch on to the word ´similar.´

Okay Dear Parents, that´s a wrap for now about Helpful Toddler Air Travel Tips: Toys. We certainly do hope that you´ve found it useful. Stay tuned for more summer fun tips to do with your little ones.

Warm Bear Hugs,

Kids Residence