As millions of families travel during the peak summer holiday period, Transport for Wales has shared seven screen-free ways to keep children entertained on long journeys.
Parents are in the thick of it. Children have been off for a couple of weeks now and the summer holidays are in full swing. Many families are taking a train, plane, bus or car and keeping younger passengers entertained and happy is an absolute must.
To help, bus and train company Transport for Wales is providing its top tips for entertaining children while travelling without resorting to screens to take the stress out of your travel.
TfW’s top tips for travelling with kids this summer
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Pack an entertainment travel bag – On top of your normal luggage, pack a small travel bag filled with activities to keep them busy. Think colouring books, books, card games, stickers and their favourite toys or teddy. Take a photo of everything in the travel bag to help you quickly make sure you don’t lose anything.
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Bring a paper map – A great way to keep kids engaged is to follow your journey on a map. Let them trace the route and predict where you’re going to stop next.
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Start a family travel game – Make up your own games or play classics like I Spy, the Five Second Game or spot the number plates. A fun one is creating a silly story together, starting with something unexpected like “A penguin got on a bus this morning”, and each person takes turns adding to the adventure.
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Snacks are essential – A hungry child can easily be an unhappy child. Pack a mix of healthy and fun snacks plus a refillable bottle of water to keep them full for your journey.
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Make a travel scrapbook – Work with your kids to make a scrapbook of your journey. You can write about key moments, draw pictures and take photos to include later.
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Create a journey challenge – Give children a simple checklist of things to spot during the trip. Depending on the route, this could include castles, rivers, sheep, stations, buses, bridges or Welsh place names. Turning the journey into a scavenger hunt helps keep children engaged and looking out of the window rather than at a screen.
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Get excited about the destination – If you’re heading somewhere fun like a TfW Big Day Out partner attraction, spend time before the journey looking at photos, learning fun facts or planning what you’ll do when you arrive. Travelling to Chester Zoo? Let children pick the animal they’re most excited to see. Visiting a Cadw castle? Challenge them to spot knights, dragons or towers along the way.
Rhys Russell, Partnerships Marketing Manager at Transport for Wales, comments, “Travelling with children can feel daunting, particularly during the busy summer holidays. A little preparation can make a huge difference. Many of the best activities don’t require a phone or tablet. We hope these simple ideas help families enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.”
Transport for Wales offers family train tickets, with up to two children under 16 travelling free with a fare-paying adult, making summer days out even better value.
