Samuel L Jackson and his snakes have nothing on toddlers when it comes to striking…
6 Screen-Free Tips for Traveling with Preschoolers
My #Momlife is mobile and takes me all over town, across the country and just around the corner. Whether it’s a road less traveled, or a trip we have taken hundreds of times, I’m for- ever on the lookout for activities to keep the kids entertained and happy. With all of our journeys, I’ve become somewhat of a pro about traveling with preschoolers. Here is what I’ve learned.
Screen-Free Travel Tips
- Make sure your kids are well rested for the journey. Tired kids have lower frustration thresholds and that’s nothing you want to deal with on the go.
- Pack a change of clothes. Kids sitting in clothes wet from food spillage are more likely to be cranky. Plan ahead for drier days.
- On that same note, whether your preschooler is potty trained or not, always pack wet wipes and hand sanitizer. Despite the best intentions of tidy snacks and mess-free entertainment, you will inevitably need them. Just for germ factor alone!
- Make sure you have snacks because hungry kids aren’t happy kids. For longer trips, I pack treats that aren’t normally a part of our diet. This doesn’t have to mean a sugar overload, because no one wants that stuck in a car or on a plane for hours. My kids like special crackers, dried fruit or smoothie pouches — anything that’s novel and relatively mess-free.
- Don’t forget a lovey! Travel can be stressful, bumps and bruises can happen, and trying to wade through that without a favorite comfort item is no one’s idea of a good time. Bringing a stuffie or blanket along for the ride is always a good idea!
- Have an entertainment plan to keep idle hands busy. I have a whole separate post for the 1-2 year old crowd, but for preschoolers and up, my go-to is Crayola Color Wonder, and I’ll tell you why.
I don’t always want to default to screen time if I can avoid it. That being said, I don’t want to clean up a glitter bomb after a Pinterest experiment has gone wrong. When we’re on the plane, I want to make sure that what the kids are getting up to isn’t going to leave marks that stick around long after we’ve collected our baggage. The last thing I want is to be “that family” that all the passengers dread sitting near.
I also want to make sure whatever they play with is safe (in case it ends up accidentally in someone’s mouth or somewhere else random). Emergency room visits: ain’t nobody got time for that! I also don’t want to have to scrub either of my kids from head to toe every time they explore the arts. I want them to play without having to hover, giving myself peace of mind and them the freedom to CREATE
These are all the reasons I love Crayola Color Wonder. It’s a unique patented, mess-free colouring system is aimed at kids aged 3-5 who are unique and normally mess-inducing colouring enthusiasts. My oldest isn’t in that range, but still loves to play! How does Crayola entertain my kid without making a mess? The markers and paints only work on specially designed Color Wonder paper. It doesn’t work on skin, walls, furniture or fabric. It’s like having stain amnesty on laundry day! Yippee!
Best of all, Crayola Color Wonder is non-toxic. It’s completely safe for my little people and I don’t have to worry about them getting sick from playing the way kids play (aka putting everything in their mouth. Which, on an airplane, is EXTRA gross). I can go back to worrying about more important things like global warming and how to correctly pronounce Worcestershire sauce (food blogger problems!).
I love that when I take our show on the road, my kids are entertained, their creative spirits are nurtured and all of their artistic efforts are safely contained with no risk of damage by poorly aimed glitter bomb or errant marker stain.
I captured the magic of my kids creating with their Crayola Color Wonder sets on our last big airplane adventure. Check out Color Wonder markers, paints and stamps in action, and watch the confusion on my kid’s face when I ask them to colour on the seat-back tray and make a mess.
Disclosure: This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and Crayola and the #ColorWonderMessFree sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. See my full disclosure here.
