Travelling with Children: How do you keep them entertained?

Going on holiday with children can be great fun, listening to their excitement and watching them experience things they’ve never seen before – but it can also add a lot of stress! This week, one train passenger acknowledged the challenges of travelling with children, when he presented a young mum with a kind message, praising her for the behaviour of her child. The note read:

“Have a drink on me. You are a credit to your generation. Polite and teaching the little boy good manners.

“PS I have a daughter your age. Someone did the same for her once. Hope when she has children she is as good a mother as you.

“Have a lovely evening.”

The man (who has since been tracked down after a social media campaign) also handed over a £5 note before leaving the train.

We thought this was a heart-warming story and a wonderful random act of kindness – and shows that holidays or trips away with children can be enjoyable and stress-free. The mum on the train had kept her son busy by playing games and listening to music together, which got us thinking about how other parents occupy their children when travelling on long journeys. We asked our fans on Facebook what they like to do.

How do the HDC community entertain their children on a long journey?

A: Hand them an iPad/Tablet/Phone and let them watch as many films as necessary – 28%
B: Cross your fingers and hope they fall asleep – 17%
C: Take their favourite toy for them to play with – 22%
D: Distract them by playing games such as ‘I Spy’ – 22%
E: Give them to someone else to look after – 11%

Our Facebook poll found that an iPad, tablet or mobile phone is the most popular way to amuse little ones on long journeys, enabling them to watch as many films as possible. 28 per cent of those who answered our poll said this was their preferred method of entertainment. Having something to play with is also popular – with over one in five people taking their child’s favourite toy along with them, with the same number distracting their kids by playing games.

When games or other sources of entertainment fail though, 17 per cent of respondents simply cross their fingers and hope their little ones fall asleep, while one in 10 would even go as far as giving their children to someone else to look after!

If you’re looking for simple ideas that will keep your kids entertained whilst travelling, take a look at our Downloads section, which includes several fun games such as word searches, playing cards and even origami cut outs!