How To Keep Kids Occupied On Holiday
Last Updated on: 25th February 2025, 07:29 am
Keep Your Kids Occupied On Holiday
When we go on holiday with kids, it is an adventure in itself. Especially if the journey is going to be a long one. It isn’t long after a child has boarded a plane, that they get bored. They can’t run around like they are used to. Even in the car, there is only so much that they can look at the same scenery before they get bored. It is always good to have an activity bag ready for them with things to do. If the child is older, they can pack their backpack themselves. Here are a few ideas of how to keep kids occupied on holiday.
Some of the ideas are free to do which is an even better bonus, especially if money is tight. Whilst other ideas do have a cost involved.
Keeping Kids Occupied On Holiday At The Beach
If you have a toddler, take a small paddling pool on holiday, this can go next to your sunbed, so you don’t have to keep going in and out of the pool with them. Most hotel pools are deep and the child cannot go in on their own.
Make use of the hotel’s holiday club. They usually open for a couple of hours in the morning and then in the afternoon. Kids clubs also provide evening entertainment in the form of a mini disco. They are usually included in the cost of the holiday, but you will pay extra for some activities like t-shirt painting etc.
For the evening when you want to go to the bar, take bubbles or some other little toys for them to keep them busy. This also gets them playing with other kids. This in itself keeps them occupied whilst you relax. Buying bubbles and bubble guns from Poundland or similar shops helps keep the cost down on holiday, especially as you will likely pay five times the amount in a hotel!
Let them make friends with kids from other countries, it is great for them to see people from other cultures and countries and learn about them. And you get to make friends with someone else too. It often makes it easier if kids can play together on holiday.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a lifesaver when it comes to bored kids. You can use it on your journey to your holiday destination, as well as whilst you are there. What I love about the Switch is that I can buy games from the online shop and they just download on to the device. There are no physical games to lose whilst you are away and no extra weight in hand luggage bags. You need to remember to pack a charger adapter to charge it up and also make sure that it is fully charged at the start of your journey. Otherwise, it will die, mid-flight or mid car journey.
Switch Games
We recently reviewed some games that are perfect for taking away on holiday. The first game was Mario 3D World And Browsers Fury. In this game, you have to get Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad going on a quest to save the Sprixie Kingdom. You work through dozens of colourful courses, whilst using the powerups that you get. Such as Super Bell, which will give you abilities to climb and scratch. Each character in the game has its own special abilities to help to get through the game. The game is suitable for people of all ages. We all use it in our house from Tilly aged 11 to Mum aged 48. This is available from the Nintendo store, so no need to carry games cartridges around. Cost £49.99
The second game we reviewed was 51 Worldwide Games. 51 Worldwide Games is full of old classic games that we might play with grandparents to modern games that you play with your friends. It has games from all over the world and it is perfect for people of all ages. The games are for players between 1 and 4, but there are fewer choices for more players. The thing that makes it perfect for travelling is that you no longer need to take board games in case the weather is bad. Or for something to do in the evenings. It will cost you £34.99 for a digital version of the game.
Travel I-Spy
However you travel, kids get bored – it’s a fact! so you can play I-Spy with them. If you are driving, it’s not so easy to keep them occupied. so we have designed some I-Spy sheets for you to pack in your child’s bag. We have them for different journey’s from car rides to airport visits. Just click the download button to download the printable sheets. Then you just print off the ones that you want to use. Just make sure you pack some pens or crayons for them to tick the boxes.
Camping Activities To Keep Kids Occupied On Holiday
It depends what kind of camping holiday you like. Do you want to be somewhere remote and away from other people? Or are you looking for a holiday camp type of holiday? What ever camping holiday you decide, it is always nice to let the kids be feral and get them off their devices for a while. After all, where will they charge them up? But what activities can you take for the kids to do?
Kids love to explore, so get them to play Camping Bingo. You can print this off by clicking the download button below. Or you can design your own and get the kids to find the things. We have made our camping bingo really easy, so even the little ones can play. There are pictures and they have to find different things. We have created 4 different bingo cards. Just give the kids a pen and watch them get excited as they search.
Before you go, get them to create a menu that they want to cook. It might be simply smores, or it might be sausage and beans with rice (a proper cowboy meal). In the printable download you will find a sheet for them to print off and write their recipe on. Then they can help you prepare it and cook it. It is a great way to bond whilst you are away.
You might also want to think about a travel bag of goodies. This will keep them occupied on the journey as well as whilst they are camping. Add somethings like the suggestions below
- Note books, pens, crayons
- Nintendo Switch for older kids
- Favourite soft toy
- A doll or a car
- Bubbles, bubble guns
- A frisbee or a ball.
- Sweets and snacks
- A camera for older kids to take pictures of memories
- Pacifiers in case they get upset
Play Board Games Whilst Camping
For those quieter moments at the campsite, board games are a great way to bring everyone together. Whether a quick card game or a longer strategy game, they provide screen-free entertainment for all ages. Meeples Corner offers a variety of board games that won’t take up too much space in your camping gear, making them a perfect addition to your travel bag.
Keeping kids occupied on holiday doesn’t have to be a challenge. With a mix of digital and traditional entertainment, outdoor activities, and creative games, there are plenty of ways to ensure they stay engaged and happy throughout the trip.
Whether it’s exploring the beach, playing classic board games, or enjoying a well-packed activity bag, planning ahead makes all the difference. The key is to have a variety of options that suit different moments of the holiday—so you can relax while the kids stay entertained.
Printables
The printables to help keep your kids occupied on holiday are free for you to use, please do not resell them or reuse them on your website without my permission.
