Travel Thursday: Travel Activities for Kids

I have a 6-year-old and a 19-year-old.  I'm not sure which one requires my attention more (do you hear that, Megan!), but I always make sure that I pack a variety of fun activities for plane rides, long dinners, and being stuck in a hotel room.  Here's a few of my favorite things:

• Foldable map. Kids love looking at maps, especially colorful ones.  Try to point out funny sounding town names and ask if you would fly there, take a bus or train, do they have bicycles, any question will do.  
• Deck of cards.  No matter the age, there's always a suitable card game.  You can play Go Fish or Old Maid for the younger ones and Poker, Blackjack, Rummy or Euchre for the older ones. Sometimes I even win (ok, not often, but sometimes).
• Silly putty.  Seriously, what kid or adult doesn't have fun with silly putty.  Do you remember pressing it against newspaper and then reading it?
• Crayons, markers (depending on the age), and foldable sheets of paper.  I like to carry these in a large baggy so the markers and crayons don't mess up the rest of my purse by accidentally leaking. I recently bought white candy boxes from a local craft store.  You can get 4 boxes for less than $2.  While on a plane, kids can decorate the boxes with crayons, markers, and cheap stickers.
• Pack something new they have to unwrap.  It doesn't have to be expensive.  Glitter markers will cost less than $5.  It could be Pokemon cards, a new comb or brush for Barbie.
• Bring a snack mix that they would normally never get at home.  Make a holiday inspired snack mix - for Easter, you could pack an assortment of pastel Starbursts, jelly beans, reese cups.  The idea is to make it special.
• Download a new movie or TV show, but don't tell them.  Make it a surprise so there's a reason to be excited AND be quiet!