|
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
Top Ten Travel Toys (and none of them electronic)By J Claire K Niala
1. A pack of cards: Any type will do for ages 0 to 3 and be prepared for them to get lost, squashed, dribbled on and chewed. For ages 3 and up, Uno Junior can provide hours of entertainment and doesn’t require much space at all.
2. A miniature artist’s sketchpad and colour pencils or crayons: Get children to draw what they see. It’s worth investing in good quality paper as not only do children appreciate it but it is much less likely to tear or rip. Carry in a Ziploc bag for waterproof protection.
3. Play dough: Make yourself at home with the recipe below and store in an airtight container. It will last a couple of weeks:
2 cups flour
Mix dry ingredients together. Mix oil, food coloring and boiling water in a separate container. Stir liquid mixture together with dry ingredients until cool enough to knead. Knead until smooth. If play dough is too dry, add more water, a little at a time. If play dough is too crumbly, knead in a small amount of oil.
4. Miniature cooking sets: Get every shape and size at your local toy shop. Children love to cook.
5. Disposable camera: Fun for children to have their own and useful to help children make scrapbook memories of their holidays when you return home.
6. Small books: The Beatrix Potter and Mr. Men and Little Miss range of books come in travel friendly sizes.
7. Their own bag: However small, they will love putting things in and taking things out of the bag.
8. A few small jars/pots with fitting lids: These provide entertainment in their own right but can also be used for bug collecting (a pocket magnifying glass and net can also assist with this) and water play.
9. Bubble mix: Guaranteed to bring smiles to even the most sullen passenger in a ticket queue at the airport.
10. Used ticket and travel receipts: Once you do not need them anymore, boarding cards and train tickets make great paper airplanes and cards. © 2011 – 2012, J Claire K Niala. All rights reserved. More Great Stuff You'll Love:
|
Get weekly updates right in your inbox so you don't miss out!
 Why I Travel 13 Hours Alone with My Kids Every Chance I GetTravelling with children, while definitely more of a mission, contradicts the old saying that “life is about the journey, not the destination.” A Diverse Book for Preschoolers in Celebration of Multicultural Children's Book DayA book that honestly and simply celebrates the every day diversity that children experience. Why My African Feminist Mother Gave Me the Identity of My Father's TribeShe gave me an identity so different from her own. 2 Children’s Books about JamaicaExplore Jamaica with your child. Costa Rica with Kids: Two Weeks of Family TravelTwo weeks of Pura Vida in a country with so much to offer families. Should I Worry about My Child's Accent in Her Foreign Language?See why Dr. Gupta takes offense to this question and where children learn accents from How to raise trilingual kids when exposure to Dad's language is limitedMy kids only get 1-2 hours of the minority language per day-help! What Cultural Norms Around Bare Feet Taught This Mother in GuatemalaHer baby's bare feet ended up being a lesson on poverty and privilege. Why African Babies Don't CryHere's the secret Breastfeeding in the Land of Genghis KhanColleague drank your breast milk from the work fridge again? Tales of breastfeeding in Mongolia Circumcision WarsShe fought her Turkish in-laws on it--did she succeed? Ten Reasons Parents Should Read Multicultural Books to KidsWhy it's critical all parents read books that reflect diversity 10 Things Not to Say to Parents of Multilingual ChildrenHave you been guilty of any of these? Are French Kids Better Behaved Because They are Spanked?Should spanking be part of your parenting toolkit to have well behaved kids? The West's Strange Relationship to Babies and SleepHow the West sleeps is different from the rest Why African Toddlers Don't Have TantrumsThe secret of why African babies don't meltdown like Western ones. Many Languages, One America: 25 Proud Bilingual ChildrenThese kids make clear what language the U.S. speaks.Hi Kim!
I am so glad that this article was useful for you and made you feel validated as a parent. It's not often in this judgmental world of parenting we get that, right?! That's the main reason... From The West’s Strange Relationship to Babies and Sleep I love reading your work. I can olny imagine what it would be like to have such beautiful customs and true community. I understand why it is so very very important to keep these traditions alive. Be... From No Kids Allowed: How Kenyan Weddings are Changing Your mother in-law seems somewhat reasonable. Many Chinese Mother In-laws are not. In their scenario, they would be number 1 to the child and you would be number two. Many want to have a bond closer... From How My Chinese Mother-in-Law Replaced my Husband I think Konstantina is actually responding to what is probably more familiar/praised/or preferred socially as well. I was an English teacher in Poland with a distinct accent. I struggled to get Engl... From Should I Worry about My Child’s Accent in Her Foreign Language? Noor Kids' title "First Time Fasting" is another great rea... From 6 Favorite Children’s Books about Ramadan This article was shared in a community I run to connect globetrotting parents and everyone LOVED it. You should join us! We all relate to your experience. Many of us, including me, are in the same b... From Why I Travel 13 Hours Alone with My Kids Every Chance I Get Please help: I Love my wife and my son. I am also EXTREMELY involved as a dad. I had to move to china ( in a tiny tiny town) where I am the only foreigner so that my wife can take over the family bu... From How My Chinese Mother-in-Law Replaced my Husband Thanks for writing this!! My baby is 7 months, and I love having her sleep in my room. I don't mention it too often to people who have had kids because they seem a little judgy on it. So tonight I... From The West’s Strange Relationship to Babies and Sleep Honestly, it looks like the author married into a very backward and old fashioned family. Not stimulating children's curiosity, differences between boys and girls, and women slaving in the house, wh... From French versus Italian Parenting in One Multicultural Family |
SUBSCRIBE
FOLLOW US!
Copyright © 2010-present InCultureParent LLC - stephanie@incultureparent.com
website by wicked clever designs
x
website by wicked clever designs
x
I love this list!!! We have 5 kids and we travel a bit each year. They have been to Hawaii, Jamaica, Argentina, east coast USA, west coast USA and planning a trip to Europe in summer of 2012. People often can’t believe we would take kids that far and make such comments as “don’t the get bored?” or “how do you keep them entertained?”. My children are so confused by those questions.
I remember thinking as a child how much I loved the smell of airports and train stations (odd, yes I know) … but on our family trip last year my 8 year old leaned over to tell me after a deep breath in “mom, I just love the smell of airports and airplanes and traveling” And I knew just what he meant. And on behalf of my three year old I must add post it notes and scotch tape to your list 
We discovered with her early on that these sticky things would keep her entertained for quite a long time … so since she was 10 months old I keep a roll of tape and supply of post it notes in my bag and they have not only come in handy while traveling but also in lines at stores and in church and at her brothers sporting events. They really don’t need big elaborate fancy tpys or entertainment … a few simple things and they are entertained for hours.