How to Enjoy Traveling With a Kid Who is 3-6 Years old
Travel is so important for kids. It helps them to see that other parts of the world are not so different from home and people are just people no matter where you are.
Kids love travel too. With new things to see and do all the time they are truely in their element. But that doesn’t mean that traveling with kids isn’t hard at times. Here are the things I do to make it a little easier and even more fun.
Roadside Attractions
Balance Education With Fun
The Right Toys Keep Them Happy
Make it Magical
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Roadside Attractions
When a long drive is required for a trip I like to add in some stops at roadside attractions rather than just stopping at gas stations when needed. Roadside Attractions are often something that adults look at and think nothing of. I know I don’t really care about seeing a giant peanut, but kids think these things are amazing. These stops also usually take a little longer so that kids get a chance to stretch their legs and even run a little bit. It’s easier to get back in the car after a bit of exercise than a quick trip in the gas station. And these stops still usually have a restroom so that everyone can get their needs taken care of.
Balance Education With Fun
Kids love to learn but they don’t want every moment to be a structured lesson. Try to mix up excursions so that some are educational like museums and others are just fun. I love incorporating mini-golf into every trip I go on.
The Right toys to keep them happy
It’s important to bring the right toys if you have a long drive or flight. The toys have to be small and versatile and it’s best if at least some of them are brand new. Kids will play with a new toy for longer before getting bored.
Here are some of my favorites.
This is a great fidget toy that really challenges kids creativity. They’ll spend hours seeing how many different shapes they can make.
This compact puzzle is great for teaching patterns and colors on the go.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Your kids will have hours of fun making silly faces with these books. With 30 different scenes and reusable stickers the possibilities are endless.
Let your kids test their searching skills again and again with this dry erase search and find book.
These are a great way to introduce puzzles to your little one because the magnets help the pieces to stay in place as they figure out what goes where. You may want to grab a couple of bags to put the pieces in when they are not actively being played with as the pieces tend to slide off when being stored vertically.
These mess free books are so magical for kids. Just put water in the pens and the colors appear like magic. Plus there are hidden images that only appear once colored. And once the page dries out it goes back to white so that it can be colored again.
These little games are great if your wanting to minimize screen time. They feel like a video game but the work with simple mechanics.
These do contain water so you may want to check the guidelines before trying to take them on a plane.
This is such a great way to take the classic memory game on the go. With no worrying about loosing a card or have to figure out a flat surface to play on this is perfect for any kind of travel.
These are a great twist on the classic fidget spinner. They spin in the same way that kids are used to but they can also manipulate the arms into all kinds of different shapes.
This travel tray is perfect for any long trip. It has a dry erase board on it’s surface for endless creative drawing. plus a cup holder and tablet stand to keep thing in place while on the go. It also has a strap that fits nicely around a car seat to keep it in place while in motion. And it folds up for easy packing.
Make it Magical
This is the age of magic for children. They see magic everywhere so go with it. Pretend that there are fairies in the trees. Stay up late so that they get to see the stars. Come up with games of pretend to play along the way that incorporate the landscape you will be seeing. Or even look up local legends and tell them to your kids while you drive. They will love every minute of it and it will make the trip more memorable for them over the years.
Happy Travels!
For more resources for traveling with kids check out these other posts.