Whenever we travel, I like to have a few simple games and activities with me to engage my little one. Games are great for developing early social interaction, communication and attention skills. When we play a quick game, I feel that we have been able to have a bit of quality time together, even when doing something mundane like waiting to board the plane.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Orchard Toys Games

I love an Orchard Game. Teachers and therapists across the country all have their own little stash of these that they use as motivators in their sessions. They are ideal for family time. Quick and simple, they are wonderful for building early learning and language skills such as matching, categorising, labelling and turn taking. For travelling they have a lovely range of mini games which come in little boxes which are lightweight and easy to slip into a bag. https://www.orchardtoys.com/dept/orchard-toys-mini-travel-games_d0116.htm

We picked up these super cute holiday themed minis at Aldi recently. (Thanks to https://findthekeyslt.co.uk/ for telling us about this bargain!)

Busy Bags

Easy to grab on the go busy bags are intended to keep little ones occupied for short periods and tend to build on their early learning and fine motor skills. There is some inspiration on our Pinterest board. Creative mum’s are great at putting fabulous little ideas together. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/16f480f76a3eb8e535dd82355e468f/busy-bags/

My Busy Bots are two mum’s who have done all of the hard work for you! They have a gorgeous range of bags which are ideal for taking out and about to keep little hands busy. I bought 6 bags a couple of years ago and have used them over and over. A product that I really love! Beautifully designed and easy to use, they include a little prompt card to explain how the bag can be used and also the skills the bag targets.

https://www.mybusybots.com/

Word games

Find yourself needing to pass the time but have nothing but your imagination to fall back on, word games and songs are great for this. I am sure we can all remember playing ‘I spy’ or ’20 questions’ as kids. Here are some great suggestions from speechbloguk https://speechbloguk.com/12-word-games-travelling-2/

 OT tip - Don’t forget about positioning for play!

If your little one is reluctant to sit at a table for too long, head down to the floor and both lie on your tummy.  Not only have you got your child’s optimal visual attention toward you and the game, you are also building their upper body strength as they prop themselves up on their forearms.  This is so important for developing the postural stability needed for fine motor skills.  They may tire and that’s ok – just head back up to sitting on the floor and back down again when they are ready. 

To get more of our top tips and tools join our Confident Communicators Group (supporting development for 2 – 5 year olds).

The group is open to parents/ carers/ grandparents and early years practitioners.

Do come along and join us!