Buy activity items that are travel-appropriate and inexpensive. Ideally, they should be compact and not have too many small pieces that can get lost, because the pieces WILL get lost. Purchasing new items for your trip will maximize the impact they will have on your child. New toys also make attractive rewards for good behavior. Apart from toys, drawing and coloring are staple activities for some children, and are suitable for travel. Games and books are also fun and interactive for the plane.
Tear out coloring pages or print them from the Internet if your child likes to color. Large coloring books or multiple coloring books can be unwieldy.
Buy travel-friendly snacks.
Pack activity items and snacks so they are easily accessible during the flight. Depending on the age of your child, activity items can be stored in a backpack that she can carry on her back or in a rolling suitcase.
Build your child's excitement about the trip. Show him pictures of airplanes if he has never traveled before, or check out a book about airplanes and flight travel from the library, and read about it a few days before you travel. Ask her if she'd like to meet the pilot, and keep mentioning anything she seems excited about as the travel day gets closer.
Point out airplanes in the sky whenever possible so he can visualize how he will be traveling.
Engage her in the flight attendant safety announcements. Show her the safety data card in her seat pocket. Point out pictures and explain what they mean. This is also a good time to explain the rules of the plane (such as staying seated when the seatbelt sign is on, or not kicking the seat in front of her, and using her inside voice), so you can lightly remind her later and not kill the fun buzz you've worked hard to create.
Introduce one activity at a time, and change the activity as soon as your child becomes fidgety. Bringing out a new item after putting another item away keeps your child engaged for a longer period of time. Snacks count as an activity, and airlines do not offer very much for free.
Play games with or read to him. These activities are especially helpful when your child wants your attention. A variety of travel games can be found at big box stores; however, many games need only a simple deck of cards.
Take her to the bathroom and let her look around the service area. Make sure you attempt this when it has been announced that it is safe to get out of your seats, and while the flight attendants are not busy in the service area--possibly when they are with their service cart and have already passed your row so you can easily get in and out.
