Long lines? Security scanners? Lots of walking? With little kids, going to the airport feels like a recipe for disaster. We were so excited for our first big family vacation, but all of a sudden I was terrified that the actual travel day would be a disaster. While I was awake worrying one night, something popped into my head. It was actually rather simple: practice! We should practice going through the airport! So the next day, that’s what we did.
We pretended our house was the airport. To start, I had everyone wear their backpacks (which they’d be using on travel day) and we played a game of follow the leader. First we pretended we were checking in and getting our tickets. Then, we walked up and down the stairs until I randomly stopped and said, “Ok! We are standing in line for TSA now. We have to wait a while! Keep waiting…good job, kids! Okay, the line is moving! Let’s go!” We circled around the table a few times and then grabbed a laundry basket. “Now we have to put our things in the scanner!” Everyone put their backpacks in the laundry basket and I slid it across the table. “Beep!” I said. “Now we have to go through a scanner!” I walked in between two chairs and said “Beep!” again. “Okay, everything looks good. Put your backpacks back on and let’s go find our gate.”
We walked in and out and around the rooms pretending we were trekking across the airport to our gate. If I had prepared more, I could have posted signs around the house with gate numbers on it, but we just pretended they were there and they were totally into it. “C1,” I said pointing to the front door. “Ok, kids, we need C10 so we have to walk a bit farther!” Then we counted together as we circled through the house again pretending we were passing C2, C3, C4 etc…
Finally, we reached our gate (the couch)! We all sat down and waited, again, to board the plane. “We have to wait again?” my daughter exclaimed. That’s when I knew this little game was actually giving them a good idea of what it was actually like to go through an airport! They were surprised to learn how much waiting and walking and how many lines there actually were, but it wasn’t frustrating or overwhelming to them as a game.
We also found a very helpful youtube video for kids all about TSA. I highly recommend watching it with your kids–preferably more than once–and talking about it a lot. It is a really cute video with some great tips! See below.
When it finally came time to get through our travel day, I was so impressed with how well my kids did. When we were in the real TSA line and my kids were awestruck at the length of it and the sheer number of people I could say, “See kids? This is why we practiced at home!” They knew what we were supposed to do and what would be coming next. I believe our playful practice at home and the resources we used on Youtube helped prepare my kids to rock their first airport adventure. With just a little thoughtful planning and practice I bet yours can do it too!
*A few extra tips:
- My kids are between the ages of 4 and 8, so depending on the ages of your kids you might want to modify your practice to be age-appropriate.
- Since we were not traveling with infants, we didn’t have a stroller or bottles or anything like that. Always double check with TSA and your airline for their policies on those extra items. Most airlines are very accommodating when it comes to traveling with all the baby things. Sometimes you can check strollers or car seats at the door or at the gate if you prefer.
- We brought a backless booster with us through the airport that we let my youngest sit on during the flight. It helped him see out the window a little better.
- If you’re worried about losing a kid at the airport (I know…every parent’s worst nightmare!) it could put your mind at ease to put your contact information on a card or piece of paper in your child’s bag. My youngest actually asked “What if I get lost?” We decided to take that extra safety precaution and teach our kids what to do in that situation. Having a parent’s info written down in a place they could easily pull out and show an airline worker gave them peace of mind too.
- Definitely bring snacks and other goodies or activities your kids love. This will help keep them entertained and full during the flight.
- Don’t forget a children’s headset so they can watch shows or movie on the flight too!
Happy Traveling!
