The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
COPING WITH CHILDREN
1 The family that listens to audiobooks together can bond over a shared love or hate for a title. Whether singing along to the audio version of The Lion King with my children, or squirming over racy bits of Nigel Slater’s memoir while trapped in a car with my in-laws, audiobooks have always served me well.
2 Forget I-spy. In a moving vehicle, you’re asking for trouble and tears. Or extreme tedium. Instead, take turns playing DJ and singing along. And for older kids, now is the moment to embrace your teen’s taste – or hand out earphones.
3 Set children of all ages the assignment of documenting your family holiday. For under-eights, who have a tendency to drop things, the Vtech Kidizoom Twist Plus camera (vtech. co.uk; £49.99) is virtually indestructible and offers plenty of opportunity to photoshop silly hats onto pictures. Set older children the challenge of filming and editing a holiday summary on their smartphones.
4 Get through airports with gimmicky luggage. In particular, the new wave of scooter suitcases is a dream when it comes to motivating children aged two-and-a-half to six through an airport (zincflyte.com; £69.99)
5 Time your longhaul flight so that it coincides with a point just after your child’s bedtime. Sleep is the best way to occupy your time 35,000ft up in the air.
6 For young children who may be unsettled on aeroplanes, don’t rely on in-flight entertainment; download a few of their favourite films onto an iPad.
7 In addition to bringing a few favourite apps on your iPad, download a few new games before flying. For early primary school age children, Toca Life: Vacation (tocaboca. com; £2.49) is typical of the company’s openended creative digital play – and keeps the kids on-theme.
8 The most common medical complaint of airline passengers is ear popping. For babies and toddlers, administer milk or other liquids to induce swallowing. A dummy is also useful here. Bring along boiled sweets or a lollipop for older children.
9 A deck of cards is a small and useful tool to have up your sleeve: from Go Fish to Snap, you’ll have to participate, but the children will be (relatively) quiet and settled in air.
10 Bring a variety of toys for young children: five picture books, a colouring or sticker book, and a few toys to keep fingers busy like Lego or Playdoh.