3 Language Tips: How to Survive and Thrive During Plane Travel with the Kiddos

Summer can often mean plane travel. Those with toddlers or preschoolers know they can’t count on their child to get lost in a good book on their own (or unfortunately in this day, a good video game on their tablet). So, what can an overwhelmed parent do?

1. Prepare for what’s ahead! Before the big day, make sure to introduce your child to the concept of plane travel. Even if young children traveled on a plane last year, they may not remember it or all the details. There are some great books you can get to read together before the big travel day ahead. These books include: Byron Barton “Planes,” Tony Mitton “Amazing Planes,” Richard Scarry “A Day at the Airport” and Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben “Lisa’s Airplane Trip.” If your child has a toy plane or helicopter, it’s time for some imaginary play. Grab a small figure and talk your child through what is going to happen. You can create a pretend plane at home by lining up some chairs like the aisle of a plane. Grab a backpack and it’s time to board! Bonus Tip: use lots of phrases like “wow!,” “so fun!” Pair these with an excited voice when reading and playing in preparation for the big day. Getting a child’s attention is an important step toward helping him make vital language connections.

2. Talk Talk Talk! Once the big day comes, talk to your child about what’s happening in simple phrases that he can understand. Amazingly, even children as young as two years-old can understand when you explain. As you arrive at the airport, “Look, we’re at the airport with all the big planes!” Talk through each step of the process and be sure to use lots of rich descriptive language with adjectives (slow, short) and spatial concepts (through). “Time to be in a long line! Wow - we get to go through the tunnel (security check). It’s a short tunnel, let’s get ready!” Bonus Tip: Be sure to stay in the moment as much as possible. Don’t talk about security until it’s in sight, so your child can clearly see what you mean. Pairing objects and actions with words that represent them at the same time is key to helping children learn new language concepts.

3. Remember when …. Once you’ve boarded the plane and are safely buckled in, it’s time to reminisce about what you just did! Pull out those books you read in advance. While reading and looking at the pages, talk together about how what you did was different or the same as the characters in the book. You can also bring that toy plane and some little figures and do the same thing. Bonus Tip: you can do this again after the plane takes off and again on the way home and then again and again. Children remember new language through lots of repetition!

Safe travels!