Unfortunately, some family holidays don’t start in the best way. Flight delays do occur and it is possible they will happen to you and your family. Shorter flights can have a 25-minute turnaround time, making them more likely to experience a delay, compared to long haul flights which often have a 2.5-hour turnaround. If you experience a delayed flight don’t let it get you down, be prepared! So have some activities ready to keep your children entertained.

Did you know? Flight delays are more likely to occur as the day passes. Therefore, to increase your chances of avoiding them, book yourself onto the first or second flight of the day. These are also usually cleaner.

Here are some airport activities to keep your children free from boredom at the airport, for the outbound and return flights.

Luggage Scavenger Hunt

Keep it old school with a stroll around the terminal. It’s important to keep kids physically active, especially before sitting on a flight for however long. Turn the walk into a scavenger hunt, where they need to spot suitcases, backpacks, and handbags of all the colors of the rainbow.

Airport Museum Adventure

There is plenty of art around airports just waiting to be viewed. Discover the works of art on the walls, sculptures and even fountains may be found throughout the airport. Turn this discovery of art into a fun museum trip with your kids.

Play Cards

Nowadays are there plenty of card games on the market. Take a pack of cards and play games like Sevens and Mystery Whist or teach your children how to play the solo player game of clock patience. Failing that, play UNO or Monopoly Deal. If you don’t have a pack of cards, you can normally find them in a store at the airport.

Plane Spotting

Many airports have viewing galleries, which are great for playing Spot the plane. What doesn’t kid love watching planes take off and land? Spend 15-20 minutes admiring the amazing technology of an airplane.

Word Search

Prior to arriving at the airport create and print some themed word searches, from the website Teacher Corner. Build a word search about the items in your suitcase or what you take to the beach, for example. Depending on the age of your children you can make it as easy or difficult as you wish, by altering how many words to find and how many letters are in the grid.

Children Friendly Area

Some airports have designated areas for children’s soft play. Check online to see if your airport departure lounge has one and where it is located. These are great places for children to be safe, have fun and also a great way to help the time fly by. Children can meet other children from all over the World in International airports.

Coloring In

Take a coloring book and a pack travel pencils or sharpies. Some kids can sit, be kept happy and quiet for 30+ minutes, simply coloring in pictures and patterns.

Family Tournament

Involve the family in a competition, have a thumb war tournament or an arm wrestling challenge. Other fun games include I Spy and Who Am I, where someone selects a famous person or fictional character for everyone else to guess. The players must ask multiple questions, where the answer can only be yes or no, in order to work out who the mystery person is.

What is great, about some of these activities is that if you don’t use them in the airport, they can be used to entertain the children on the flight and maybe on the beach, in the hotel or queuing for a rollercoaster ride. Whatever activities you choose, be sure to be prepared for any kind of delay.