• Tips on Flying with Kids

    AirTran inflight picture taken earlier this year!

    I have the opportunity to travel with our girls over Spring Break.  Thankfully they are wonderful in the car and LOVE to fly in the airplane.  A couple months ago we told the girls that we would be visiting family over Spring Break and they have been looking forward to this week every since that day.  After we first told them about our little trip almost every day they would ask me how many days until Spring.  It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that I realized that they thought that as soon as Spring arrived they would get a break (aka “Spring Break”) and we could go on our road / flying trip.  I had to explain to them that their School Spring Break did not always start on the first day of Spring.  They have been counting down the days and have been encouraging me to pack our suitcases.   Last week we were coming home from Church and Karlie told me to drive faster, when I asked why she said “we need to get home so we can start packing for our trip.”  Even though we were not leaving for several days I let the girls get started.  I had them find their travel backpacks and to start laying out a few items that they want to pack in their backpacks.  After only a few minutes they had a whole pile of items and they felt better about getting started.

    Traveling with kids can be a wonderful and fun adventure.  Adding special activities while traveling can make the trip even more exciting and memorable for the kids.  When the kids are happy it makes the whole trip go more smoothly.  Here are a few items we have used on our trips with the kids:

    • Special Backpack – whenever we travel, fly or spend the night somewhere the girls pack their travel backpack full of goodies just for them.  They have had the same backpacks for the last 3 to 4 years.  It has been a great investment and each girl is thrilled to pack items they enjoy in their own backpack.  Plus they proudly carry their treasures through the airport themselves.
    • Books – our girls love books so they pick out a couple small books to take in their backpacks.  We read the books as we are waiting to board the plane, quietly on the plane or whenever we have some downtime.
    • Educational Items – in the backpack we pack a pencil and crayons along with a small notebook, coloring book, and workbooks for them to do on the trip.  They enjoy doing “school” work for fun and it makes me feel good about them practicing their writing, numbers or other practical skills.
    • Snacks – before a big trip we will take the kids to the grocery store and have them pick out one special treat to take with them as a snack on the plane.  For this trip Brina picked out Blueberry Muffins and Karlie picked out 100 Calorie Snack Cookies, makes me laugh and proud to see what they chose this time around!
    • Creative Games – on the trip we come up with games to play with the girls
    1. What shapes / animals / objects do you see in the clouds?
    2. Name everything you see that is ___________ (red, a circle, silly, etc…)
    3. Find every word that contains a ____________ in it (a letter or set of letters like any word that contains a “b” in it or “th”)
    4. Count the number of steps it takes to get to the _______________? (to the terminal, bathroom, seat, baggage claim, etc…)
    5. What is your favorite __________? (memory, food, color, place to visit, etc…..)
    6. Card Games – “Go Fish”, “Old Maid”, “Uno”, and more!
    • Surprise Gifts – inside the girls backpacks we wrap small gifts for them to open up at random times throughout the trip.  Most of the time they are so involved and excited about the adventure that they don’t even open the gifts or only get to 1 or 2.  Although, they are quick to remind us once we have arrived at our destination and have fun opening them while we are visiting or vacationing.
    • Postcards – are fairly inexpensive souvenirs and the girls enjoy picking out and receiving postcards.  They will put them in their special drawer and keep it for many months.  They will pull them out and go through them to remember the special trips together.
    • Mind Your Manners – discuss appropriate manners, rules and guidelines for traveling (especially in a busy airport).  This is important to do at the beginning of the trip.  You can even make a game out of it.
    • Bright Matching Outfits – dress the kids in bright matching outfits so it is easy to see them in the airport.  Even if they are right next to you they are easier to see.
    • Gum – when the plane is ascending or descending it is smart to have your kids chew on some gum to help relieve any of the pressure especially if they have a cold or stuffy nose.  If you have an infant it would be a good time to give them their pacifier.  For a toddler a lollipop or a crunchy snack works well.
    • Rest – Allow the kids to sleep on the plane if they want to rest.  The girls have taken several naps on airplanes.  It gives them an extra boost of energy and helps them relax.  One time all three of us took a snooze on the flight, we were exhausted!

    Keeping the kids entertained is a great way to make the trip enjoyable.  For the parents I have a few more ideas of what to do during the  flight to help it go by quickly and smoothly.  The girls are excited, however, we are traveling after a full day of school and we’ll us arriving at our destination the early part of the next day.  I am looking forward to creating more positive traveling moments with the girls and praying that the trip is smooth for everyone driving, flying, and traveling with us.  Do you have any tips for flying with kids?

  • Teaching Life Lessons Early

    Teaching Life Lessons EarlyOverall this year we have had a wonderful experience of our girls going to school.  It has been an interesting adventure seeing what they are learning that we are proud of as well as habits we wouldn’t necessarily encourage.  How much do we learn in the early years that sticks with us throughout our lives?  Some parents may expect the school system to teach our children all the basics of life, yet the school funds are decreasing and more kids attending each classroom.  I recently volunteered for the mandatory standardize testing which gauges how much each student is learning and improving.  As I was watching the students trying to concentrate for a rather lengthy time I had to wonder how accurate those tests really are and what areas do they completely miss?

    What  good life long basic skills do we learn at home and in elementary school besides reading, writing and math:

    • Manners – if you haven’t taught your kids already they may pick up more phrases like  “please” “thank you” and so forth which is beneficial.  You may also hear words and phrases you would not encourage, therefore, you have the opportunity to share with them why they don’t use those words.  Sharing with others is necessary when you have a group of students in a classroom.  Taking turns is hard but it is great lesson to learn.  I was impressed to see a young male student holding the door open for the female student while I was volunteering, granted I was in a small classroom so maybe those students have more one-on-one encouragement, either way it was good to see that the parent / teacher training was instilled.  Listening and waiting to speak is a difficult skill to master.  When you have a classroom full of students it is one that has to be enforce and is a wonderful skill to maintain.
    • Friendships – little ones learn quickly about friendships in school.  We all have the desire to be liked by everyone even at an early age.  A child would give up an opportunity to ride a bike in a heartbeat for the promise of friendship.  My daughters have learned that it can take a lot of work to maintain friendships.  It is a delicate balance teaching your child to be a true friend while letting them know that it is important that the friendships requires work from both parties.  They have learned that friendships can be fickle as well, one day someone is your best friend and the next day they don’t want to play with you at recess or speak with you.  As a parent we need to encourage healthy friendships for our children.  Part of that is leading by example, do you have friendships that are out of balance yourself and how do you react?  Your children need to see that you have friendships that are healthy.
    • Generosity – children are naturally generous, they want to help others and get excited when they can do something that will help another person.  My daughters enjoy contributing to the toy drive, food drive and other functions the school has set up.  Are they seeing you as a parent being generous at home?  Do you take food to the local food pantry, donate clothes, help a friend in need, and so forth?  You may not have a lot of monetary funds to help but you have been blessed with something if only time to volunteer to help another person.  Your kids will notice, get excited and want to pitch in too.
    • Education – you learn how to read, write and all other avenues of learning in school.  It is essential to allow your children to learn, grow and explore while at school and at home.  Visit the local library, museum or go on little adventures where you can teach them about wildlife or flowers.  Kids love to learn and reading fun stories.  They can learn quickly too so take the time to invest in their education both at school and home.  Each child and family is unique whether that means public, private, or home school take an active role in their education.
    • Recess – it is important even at a young age to take breaks.  Whether you are a student or working take time to regularly get up, stretch, and walk around.  It allows you to be more alert and focused when you come back to the work at hand.  Having fun as a kid and adult is allowed so do it when you can.
    • Social – you can learn a lot of positive and negative consequences to how you interact with different people and personalities.  Being a positive upbeat person you will have the ability to share a smile, hug or help someone.  Make sure you demonstrate a positive outlook on life and show your children how to interact socially with other adults and children.  Have another family over for game night, go to the park for a picnic, or take your kid to work with you for a couple hours.  Show them how interact appropriately.

    Parents can find ways to have school compliment what they are already teaching their children.  Many of the habits we pick up we learn at an early age and those features can carry over to our work and families as we grow older.  Find ways to positively teach your child so they have more opportunities to have good impact on the lives they touch.   What are ways you are teaching your children to be better friends, generous, polite, and kind?