Depending on your child's age, providing him with puzzles can be a great way to get through the majority of the long flight. Crosswords, Suduko and find-a-word puzzles can be quite entertaining, while providing your child with mental stimulation and learning experiences. Make the puzzles more interesting by interacting with your child. Making contests of who can solve a puzzle the fastest can add competition to this simple game.
This classic children's game can be useful on long flights. "I Spy with My Little Eye" can provide your children with hours of entertainment. Have your children spot objects within the aircraft, and encourage them to take turns with guessing. For example, the person spying will select an object such as a seat and say, "I spy with my little eye something that starts with 'S.'" The guesser then has to come up with a variety of objects that can be seen in the cabin, until he has guessed the correct object. Make this game more fun by offering prizes to the child who guesses the most correct objects.
"Noun Sense" is an educational game that allows your child to demonstrate his sense of creativity. The game begins by having him write a list of 12 silly nouns, names, places, people or things. After he writes the list, interact with your child and make up a funny story using the selected nouns. Have the stories reflect humorous, sad, exciting and scary scenarios.
Another way to play the noun game is to split a list of 12 silly nouns and make up a story together. The first person should say one sentence of the story and then pass it on to the next player to create a story. Playing the game this way can be quite amusing as each player can change the story's direction as he sees fit.
If you are traveling to a foreign country, teach your children phrases while turning the lesson into a fun game. Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. On the left side of the paper write easy English phrases such as "hello," "goodbye" and "where is..." On the right side of the paper translate the same phrases into the foreign language of your choice and jumble them. Your child will have to match the English word or phrase to the correct foreign language phrase by drawing a line between the two. This game teaches your child fun communication skills he can use during the trip. Carry small prizes such as candy to offer as rewards when your children remember correct phrases.
