We are going on our first long-haul flight with the kiddies soon and I have been gathering lots of activities for entertaining the children at the airport. It seems ridiculous but spending around 4 hours at Heathrow Terminal 5 needs to be done efficiently and keep those kiddies happy. 

Our flight is during the night, so we leave Heathrow at 9pm and arrive in Dubai at 6am (UEA time). I am very excited about our flights, as I have said on numerous occasions! I have been doing a lot of research on what we can do at Terminal 5 to keep the kiddies entertained. 

Book a family meal 

We have to be at the airport 3 hours before our flight, so we will get there around dinner time and to be quite frank, it’s the witching hour. We have booked our meal at Gordon Ramsay Plane Food at Terminal 5 and I am so excited. I have never eaten there before, and the menu looks delicious. This will also keep us all entertained, not just the children, for a good 90 minutes. 

Download fun games for their devices

Now, I do not want them on their devices for the entire time. But when you are trying to check in or gather yourselves so you know where you are going – sometimes keeping them quiet on devices can really help. Downloading the latest and fun cooking games for example, they love it when they have to make pizzas or sell the most amount of chips. 

Pack lots of fun travel games 

I have a backpack full of travel games to take with us, I recently discovered Monopoly Deal and it’s brilliant. These games are perfect for waiting around with the kiddies, when we are waiting for food at our table for example. Or waiting at the departure lounge where there is limited activities around us. 

Family travel

Planning an airport treasure map  

I have been doing my research and I can see that Terminal 5 has some fab areas for families, like the Stay & Play area in the departure lounge. There are fun slides, soft play areas and baby areas too. I love the fact they have catered for family activities at Heathrow. They even run special events every now and again to entertain the children. So, I’ve been thinking about making a treasure map so the kids can help navigate us around the airport and have a little fun. 

Do you have any fun tips or ideas on how to entertain the children at the airport? I would love to know in the comments below, or on social media: @mummyconstant

What do you think?

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15 Comments
  • Karen Radford
    Thursday, March 12, 2020

    The ‘i-SPY at the airport’ book is a good way to keep kids occupied plus a new comic and Top Trumps or Dobble.

  • Carolyn E
    Saturday, March 14, 2020

    I have seen so many really bored kids at airports, which is a shame. The parents need to read this!

    • Stephanie T
      Sunday, March 15, 2020

      We have some travel board game – hoping to have our first long haul flight this year

  • Leanna Harrington
    Thursday, May 7, 2020

    Some great ideas for keeping the kids entertained at the airport. The waits are always so long and this will definitely help. Will give some of these a go when we can finally go on holiday

  • Margaret Gallagher
    Friday, May 29, 2020

    This might be a reality soon – cant wait for our adventures to start again

  • volcanopete
    Saturday, August 1, 2020

    Thanks for some tips which can prevent a very gruelling time.

  • google dino games
    Saturday, December 5, 2020

    I really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. I feel strongly that love and read more on this topic. I have spent a lot of my spare time reading your content. Thank you a lot.

  • Sarah Cooper
    Tuesday, December 8, 2020

    Some great ideas.

  • Roy Comper
    Sunday, September 5, 2021

    Nice ideas.

  • ashleigh allan
    Thursday, September 9, 2021

    Lots of good ideas

  • Patricia Barrett
    Sunday, September 26, 2021

    Thanks for the great article and tips.

  • Georgina Prince
    Thursday, September 30, 2021

    Some good tips here, i always dread the waiting round at the airport with the kids!

  • AndiG
    Tuesday, October 19, 2021

    I always forget the airport, usually we have been waiting for a very short time. I have always done y main planning for the flight. We do have a book treat for the trip at the airport

  • Tracy Hanley
    Wednesday, October 20, 2021

    It is hard to keep little ones entertained for a few hours , manchester airport terminal 2 had a small play area for the little ones but they soon got bored