We know that there are plenty of parents, teachers and caregivers out in the Twitterverse, willing to share their valuable wisdom. Therefore we were really looking forward to seeing what tips would come out of the BritMums Twitter Party that we recently sponsored, especially because the topic focused on entertaining children while travelling; a tricky challenge faced by so many of us!
We talk a lot more. Time out from devices so we can focus on communicating with each other and sharing the experience together. I love seeing how much the girls grow on each trip, being away from home & work, they are much calmer & happier having our full attention!#lovelearning
— Katie Albury (@katie_albury) July 5, 2019
The importance of children learning whilst travelling
Although there is some stigma attached to using tablets to entertain children, lots of us admitted to having done so. The development of educational apps means that we don’t always have to feel guilty about turning to devices, however the party provided plenty of tips for people who were keen to leave the tablets at home. Mother Of All That Is Perry summed it up when she said, “It’s easy to have educational fun while travelling”, offering the below idea for learning fun on the go!
It’s easy to have educational fun while travelling! We take a metal tin of goodies and on the lid we play with magnetic letters and practice spelling! Easy to do on any form of transport and keeps you lo occupied. 🚂✈️🚢🚙@LRUK @BritMums#LoveLearning
— Mother Of All That Is Perry (@mother_perry) July 5, 2019
We love it! Who hasn’t got an old tin hanging around? (If you haven’t, use it as a good excuse to buy a nice tin of biscuits.) Magnetic Alphabet & Numbers are a classic way to help children learn to spell and this shows they don’t have to be restricted to fridge doors; they can be used in plenty of other places too!
You don’t need to limit the magnetic fun to just letters and numbers either; magnetic educational travel games will help your little one develop their spatial awareness whilst also testing their logic and problem-solving skills! The magnetic element is a great way to limit the risk of lost pieces!
@BritMums #LoveLearning Magnetic travel games are fantastic for long journeys. Small enough to easily be enjoyed in a car or on a plane, and being magnetic there’s no lost piece trauma!
— Emily Hutchinson (@emilyh13) July 5, 2019
Fun games & activities to keep the kids entertained
Educating kids on the move isn’t all about magnets! As MummaJem pointed out, you can use the world around you to teach and learn.
Once we reach the destination we learn new words on the beach . . . Including our names! When we arrived home My then two year old had learned his own name by sand writing! #LoveLearning That would be a great idea for a product @LRUK “holiday sand writing tools”! pic.twitter.com/n5FB7aTyNZ
— 💖 Jemma 💖 (@MummaJem) July 5, 2019
Sand is a fantastic medium for getting children excited about writing! There’s something tactile about mark-making in sand that simply makes it more fun and engaging than using pen and paper.
The same can be said about Playfoam and why so many children enjoy using the squishy, squashy creative play resource to form letters like the SEN Resources Blog below. Playfoam is a material that is perfect for travelling – it doesn’t stick to hair or clothes and you won’t cover the car/train/plane in bits of foam, or leave half of it behind!
And we adore playfoam, great for forming the letters of the alphabet #lovelearning https://t.co/rv9fFkGAi1
— SEN Resources Blog (@cheshiresentut) July 5, 2019
If your little one isn’t quite ready for letters, or numbers, don’t think that you need to wait to have educational fun on long journeys. Summer110 had this great tip to keep early learners learning.
#LoveLearning@BritMums and @LRUK We find that taking flash cards and matching cards out with us on long car journeys is a great way to keep our son entertained but also very educational for him. Another bonus is that they’re small so very easy to pack too! 😃
— Summerfun1 (@Summerfun110) July 5, 2019
Flash cards are compact and easy to play with, these photo flash cards are ideal for encouraging critical thinking skills from a young age. Even if there isn’t a lot of room, they can still be used to entertain!
Other ways of educational fun when travelling!
For adventurers who are looking to explore the world around them, there are plenty of ways to have educational fun whilst on your travels. Fuelled by Latte, highlighted that kids can get closer to nature with a set of binoculars, allowing them to see fantastic creatures without needing to get too close and disturbing them. The GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars® Extreme™ even amplify sound, so little explorers can hear what they’re looking at too!
Here at Fuelled By Latte we are massive fans of STEM toys and outdoor learning. We take these #GeosafariJrKidnocularsExtreme whenever we go out as a family for the day as they help the kids get closer to nature #LoveLearning @BritMums @LRUK pic.twitter.com/WGqFX4vh83
— Fuelled by Latte (@fuelledbylatte) July 5, 2019
It’s not always about looking at things far away though. Jennifer Howze pointed out that kids with a magnifying glass will find plenty of exciting things to learn about up-close. Of course, if any of those things have wings or legs, they have a tendency to escape before they can be carefully examined. A little bug hunter equipped with a magnifier would provide an ideal solution while you’re away from home (or in the back garden!)
I find the best way to keep kids occupied is to give them tasks that really challenge them. A good magnifying glass, a list of things to find & collect — these do marvels! #lovelearning
— Jennifer Howze (@jhowze) July 5, 2019
One of our favourite tweets came from Ruth, who reminded everyone that going on holiday is an education enough. Whether you go too far flung locales or enjoy a good old staycation, there’s so much in the world for kids to learn about. Keeping scrapbooks will help cement those lessons in their memories (and help with creative design and motor skills too!)
Our favourite way to #LoveLearning on holiday is to keep a scrapbook. Collecting tickets, postcards and writing funny stories about what we did each day is a great way for them to keep learning on holiday and make great memories. @BritMums @LRUK
— Ruth Cartwright (@craftcartwright) July 5, 2019
Last, but definitely not least, we couldn’t talk about entertaining kids while travelling without discussing every parents’ favourite game…
#LoveLearning we love playing the silence game! First to talk loses lol
— Jane Oholleran (@jaybopoo) July 5, 2019
Do you have any tips for educational entertainment for travelling kids? Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know!
