Travelling with children during early childhood can be very complex indeed. Among the many things to prepare before leaving are travel games, which are essential to beat boredom while travelling on holiday.

A holiday is always a fantastic adventure for a child, even when they are very young: there is the excitement of moving to a new or different environment, the many new things to see, touch and discover, the fun with new or old friends and so on. But travelling with children - parents know this very well! - is by no means a walk in the park.

The most difficult part is usually the transfer. Whether short or long, the journey is always quite demanding: it requires organisation and preparation, but also imagination and a lot of patience. The hours spent in a car, train, plane or boat become very long if the children start to get bored. And that is why, in addition to food, medicine and so on, it is always a good idea to have age-appropriate play activities ready to offer during the trip.

Travel games in early childhood

As children grow up, they learn to entertain themselves even on longer journeys. But in early childhood it is much more complicated. The 'constricted' position that one usually has to hold during the journey itself does not help. That's why mum and dad have to make every effort to structure a 'battle plan' that includes not only a good number of naps and snack breaks, but also a few games to play.

- Up to 1 year

Travelling toys for babies must be stimulating. Specific ones can be purchased, but also created using puppets, rattles and toys already present at home. There are two useful tips here
1. attach the toys to the car seat or pram so that they are easily available and usable.
2. propose one game at a time so as to keep curiosity and enthusiasm high.

- From 1 to 2 years

At this stage of childhood, children have usually already achieved good motor coordination, but also acquired their first language-cognitive skills. The options for travel play are more and include:
1. activities to be carried out independently, such as drawing, building, etc. There are numerous accessories on the market such as travel tables or game pockets that are very useful.
2. Games to be played with mum and dad, such as recognising and naming objects that are noticed during the trip, repeating words or sounds and so on.

- From 3 years upwards

By the time they are 3 years old, children are much more independent, but above all they have reached such linguistic-cognitive skills that even more complex and challenging travel games such as riddles or small quizzes are possible. But it is also possible to sing together, invent stories and much more in addition to activities that can be carried out completely independently.

Three bonus tips finally apply to all children. Do not give in (not too much at least) to the temptation to entertain your children with electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, video games, etc.). Also, never forget their favourite teddy bear or doll. And finally, a bit of music in the background never hurts.

What about you? How do you entertain your children while travelling?