Busy Bags for Travel

 Vintage Jack

Today I start planning for the most important part of any journey with children, busy bags.  If I haven't mentioned it, we are taking a red eye when we fly out to the East Coast in two weeks.  I hope that this will mean that my kids are so tired that they will be sleeping.  From past experience with this crew, I have learned to plan for the worst and celebrate anything better.  Don't let Jack's picture above fool you,  it was taken in our kitchen while eating a giant bowl of fruit.   

Busy bags and snack bags have a lot in common.  Specifically, many of the same rules apply:

• Nothing too messy 
• Activities should be independent
• Items should be compact
• Nothing breakable

and the addition of:

Nothing that is known to cause major arguments among the children.

With that in mind, I am off to create customized bags for all three.  For my 8 1/2 and 7 year old, packing their Nintendo DS could take care of the entertainment should it need it to.  Still, I don't want them to get burnt out.  I may need to save that card for later on in the trip or the return flight.  My older 2 are close enough in age that I will pack similar item for them.  Such as...

2 new paperback books (to be purchased from used book store)

personalized music playlist

headphones for in flight entertainment

deck of cards

pre-printed puzzles and pictures

small bag of markers (washable)

1 pencil, 1 pen

empty note pad

Mad Libs

home made "make your own" travel bingo set

For my 3 year old, I will pack up:

a collection of thin books and magazines such as National Geographic Kids

play dough

match box cars

Leapster

headphones

personalized music playlist

Bendaroos

1 compact Kindermusik activity game 

washable markers

empty coloring pages

stickers

I will also tuck in a few new books, and more matchbox cars into the luggage for the return flight home.  I have been researching sewing  reusable the travel bags.   If that doesn't work out, zip locks should work just fine.  Pictures to come next week.

What items have successfully occupied your children during travel?